Once Upon A Dream
by Sahara Rose 101
Summary: Prospero Industries is holding a ball so of course mayhem ensues. Jesker, Conby.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jess Parker walked down the corridor, bright pink high heels clacking confidently. She paused for a second, using her coded bracelet to access the training room and to swipe a stay lock of brown hair out of her eyes. She pursed her lips and folded her arms before entering, the picture of the angry yet perfect professional woman. If the professional woman was under 25 and wore brighter colours than some pop stars. "Becker!"

The young Special Forces captain looked up at her in surprise, "Jess? What are you doing here?" He was in the middle of a training session with his men and was currently held in a rather difficult neck lock.

She smiled tightly, "Playing errand girl. Lester wants you in his office."

Becker grabbed the arm that was holding him and flipped its owner with a little more force than was necessary. "Okay," He stood up and turned to face his men. "Practice grappling until I get back. And if I catch you slacking off, you will be on creature clean up for a month."

Jess waited as he grabbed a towel and walked over to her. As soon as the doors closed, she fixed with a piercing glare, "Next time keep your earpiece in. Please," She added quickly, realising she sounded abrupt. She just hated being sent on mundane errands.

He raised a hand to his ear, suddenly feeling the absence of weight. "Sorry, I took it off for training. It was getting in the way."

They ambled down the corridor, back to OPS, Becker shortening his stride to match Jess' shorter steps. "You're actually lucky that you did," Jess said suddenly. "Lester's in a foul mood."

"Lester's always in a foul mood," Becker smirked a little.

"I mean, more than usual. And he isn't that bad, not with me, not usually. Phillip came in this morning and Lester looked like he was about to have an aneurysm or something."

"You know you're welcome to come hide out in the armoury."

Jess raised an eyebrow, smiling a little for the first time. "Is that what you do?"

"Well self preservation is one of my best skills," Becker replied, smiling down at her. Even in her high heels, he towered over her.

"You didn't answer my question," Jess poked him in the arm.

"You know violence in never the answer Jessica."

"Says the man who wants to shoot everything," Jess retorted.

"I do not want to shoot everything," He said with an indignant huff.

Lester rapped on the glass wall of his office, "If you two are down talking, we actually have work to do."

"Sorry," Jess said as Becker opened the door for them. Abby and Connor were already sitting in the chairs opposite the desk, looking like school children called into the principal's office, while Matt leant against the wall looking nonchalant.

"Yes, well, sit down," Lester gave a hand at them before sinking heavily into his expensive leather chair behind his desk.

Jess approached his desk tentatively, "Is everything ok?"

"No, Jess, everything is not ok. Phillip is determined to make me into a laughing stock."

"I don't think-" Connor started but Lester cut him off.

"Oh he does. He wants to rub in his knighthood and embarrass me."

"What's he doing?" Matt asked, wanting a concise answer.

"He's holding a ball."

"A ball?" Abby echoed, surprised. She'd almost been expecting Armageddon.

"Like a dance?" Connor asked.

"No, like a beach ball," Lester said sardonically. "Yes a dance." He stood up and moved so he was looking out the window, surveying the now empty OPS room.

"I don't understand," Jess spoke up, sounding uncertain. "Companies like Prospero have functions like this all the time." She almost added, _what's the big deal_, but refrained for fear of death.

Lester turned around and looked at them, like a judge before a jury. "Connor, have you ever been to something like this before?"

"No, I've tried sneaking in a few times but I always get thrown out," The tech answered honestly.

"My point exactly: none of you know how to deal with real people."

"I think I do pretty alright," Matt said, straightening. "It's one night. We can deal with it."

"We deal with dinosaurs – how bad can a group of stuck up rich people be?" Abby asked, waving her hands around.

"Worst case scenario – one of insults or shoots," Lester glared at Matt, who shrugged, "someone they shouldn't and I get fired."

"Actually, the worst case scenario is an anomaly opens in the middle of the dance floor and a T-Rex learns the Macarena," Becker said, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh God, don't even joke about that," Lester paled at the thought.

"It will be ok," Jess said cheerfully, trying to be helpful.

"Look at it this way," Matt added, "Connor is considered an employee of Prospero – so he's Phillip's problem."

"Hey!" Connor yelled indignantly. "I resent that."

Lester nodded, ignoring his outburst, "True. Very true."

"And Jess will make friends with everyone," Matt continued, "Becker will sulk in a corner and Abby will go with the flow. It won't be a complete disaster."

"Do you promise none of you will cause me any embarrassment?" Lester looked at all of them intensely. His reputation was of the upmost importance to him. And his rivalry with Burton only increased his need for it.

"Absolutely no embarrassment," Matt nodded in agreement, praying he wasn't agreeing to anything stupid.

"I will hold you to that," Lester promised. "Anything goes wrong and it's your head."

"Ok," Matt nodded again.

"It will be ok," Jess repeated herself. "It's only a ball. A little bit of dancing won't harm anyone."

"You have never seen Connor dance," Abby smirked at her boyfriend.

"That's another thing – you're allowed to bring a plus one."

"Well, you'd look a bit pathetic going stag," Connor said.

"You would know," Becker told him, biting back a smirk at his outraged splutter.

"I do… I don't… Oh shut up," Connor glared at Abby. "That's half your fault."

"Why? What did I do?" The blonde raised her eyebrows.

"You made me-"

"You do realise that there is a break room for this type of office gossip," Lester sat back down and started flicking through the files scattered across his desk.

They realised the statement was a dismissal and filed out.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Abby said as they walked over to the Jess' station.

The younger woman shrugged, "For him it is. People can drop thousands of dollars on parties like this."

"Some people have more money then sense," Abby replied.

"And some people have taste," Becker said and checked his watch. "I've got to go."

"Bye, don't forget to your earpiece," Jess called after him.

"Yes Jess," Becker waved over his shoulder.

Abby leant against Jess' desk, "Does this mean I'm going to have to buy a dress?"

"Yep, you'll be beautiful," Connor nodded the back tracked as she glared at him. "Not that you're not beautiful now, you are. You'll be more beautiful… I'm just digging myself a hole aren't I?"

"Yep," Abby nodded.

"You've almost hit China," Matt said and clapped him on the back. "Good luck mate," He walked away.

"Abby,"

"Yes Connor?"

"Will you go to the ball with me?"

"Yes you idiot."

Jess smiled at their antics, squashing the twinge of jealousy. She wanted a relationship like that; she wanted a partnership. She held back a sigh and sat down in her chair. Maybe one day.

A/N: So the lack of Jesker this season was disappointing as hell. Thankfully 5.04 changed that. But I need more. Seriously. So I wrote this. This story is set at about 5.02 so Abby and Connor are still on the rocks. (Anyone else cheer *SPOILER* when April died? And yell at Matt for not shooting Burton when he had the chance. Idiot.) Rant over. Feedback is always appreciated (hint hint)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favourites etc. Reading them really does make me write faster. I'm glad you like this story. I'm sorry I haven't replied to you individually. I'm currently in a little hippie town on the coast where internet doesn't seem to have reached. Which at least gives me time to write…

Disclaimer: I do not own Primeval. If I did, there would be more Jesker scenes and April would have died sooner.

Chapter 2

Becker raised a fist and knocked on the front door, "Connor, don't tell me you forgot." It was Friday night and tradition dictated that they eat copious amounts of pizza and watch football. Occasionally Abby joined them, making Connor jealous by commenting on how fit some of the players were.

The door swung open to reveal Jess in bright green pyjama shorts and pale pink singlet, "Connor's not here," She said, leaning against the door. She tried to fight the blush creeping up her neck; she wasn't dressed for company.

The soldier sighed, "Of course he forgot." He should have reminded Connor after the meeting. The tech had been locked in his lab too long to remember his friends.

Jess shrugged sympathetically, "If it makes you feel better he forgot his and Abby's anniversary."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes," Jess rolled her eyes then added a cheery, "But the punching bag isn't."

"You have a punching bag?" He glanced down at her, taking in her petite frame then his chocolate brown eyes flicked back up to meet hers.

"Yes…' She bit her lip in a gesture he found oddly cute. "Well it's technically Abby's but it's my flat."

"Of course…" A small smirk grew. "You don't happen to like pizza do you?" He asked randomly and held up the two boxes in his hand. It seemed a waste to throw out half of it. And he rarely spent time with Jess out of the ARC, save for that disaster with the bomb. _Yes,_ he decided. _It could be enjoyable._

Jess looked at him dubiously, "Depends on what it is?"

"Meat lovers and Supreme."

She shrugged and opened the door so he could walk past her, "Better than what I was gonna have."

Becker looked at the half finished bowl of chocolate ice cream she'd left on the bench in her rush to answer the door, "And more healthy."

"Hey," She frowned at him, "It's Friday night and I'm stuck at home doing invoices – chocolate is the only thing keeping me from going crazy."

"And now you've got me," The words were out of his mouth before he thought about what he'd said.

Jess' cheeks turned a slight pink colour, "Sit down. Let me just get some plates." She dashed across the room, rainbow toe socks skidding along the hardwood floors. She almost slid into the counter but caught herself just in time.

"You know those socks could be considered a health and safety risk," Becker commented as he sat down at the table and opened the pizza boxes.

"Yeah, but they're warm," Jess retorted.

"They could blind someone," Becker continued. He'd never understood the attraction of rainbow coloured things; he much preferred the organisation of one colour or black. Black was always good – the blood never showed.

She placed a plate in front of him, "Somehow I think chasing dinosaurs is considered more of a risk,"

"True," He nodded and motioned for her to pick first. He was raised a gentleman, after all.

"Thanks," She smiled and took a small piece to start.

"So where's Abby?" Becker asked before taking a large bite.

"No idea," Jess swallowed and shrugged. "Neither of them are here much."

Becker glanced around the usually pristinely decorated flat, "I see Connor's been in the lounge room." Piles of paper littered the floor and several of the couch seats. It looked out of place in a flat that could looked like an interior decorator lived there.

"No, that was me. I told you I was doing invoices."

"There's a thousand pieces of paper over there, how can that possibly be the invoices?"

Jess looked at him, "How many shops, restaurants, schools, etc do you destroy when an anomaly appears?"

"Hey, that is not my fault!" Becker said indignantly. "That's the creatures. Most of the time."

"I know," She patted his arm reassuringly. "I wasn't accusing you or anything. And it comes with the job."

Becker frowned at her, recalling something he'd overheard. "Doesn't Lester demand the invoices every month?"

"Yep," Jess nodded and reached for another piece of pizza.

"And you do it by yourself?" Becker stared at the mountain of paperwork that strongly resembled a nightmare he'd once had. And he'd thought he'd had it rough having to do reports for every field operation.

"Becker, it's my job," Jess explained. "You keep everyone safe from the creatures and I keep everyone safe from extra paperwork."

"You know, I'm not entirely sure which is more dangerous." And he wasn't completely joking.

Jess rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

The front door opened and Abby walked in, hagardedly running a hand through her blonde locks, "Hey Jess…. Becker." Her lips quirked when she saw him and she gave him a knowing look.

"Hi," Becker held up one of the half empty pizza box, ignoring the pointed look. "Want some?"

"Sure, I'm starving," She leaned over Jess and grabbed a piece. "Is Connor here?" She asked through a mouth full of pizza. She already knew the answer but hope made her ask anyway.

"No," Jess winced. She hated being put in the middle. "Sorry."

Abby sighed resignedly, "Figures. He invites me to a ball then ditches me for a computer."

Becker cleared his throat. "We're about to start doing invoices, would you like to help?" It was an obvious offer for company and distraction but subtlety wasn't in his skill set.

Jess glanced at Becker, "We are, are we?" She hadn't heard that plan before but the glint in his eyes made her smile. It was just like him to try to fix something, even if it didn't really need him to fix it.

"Well, you can't have all the fun," Becker smiled back at her.

Abby looked at them, "Am I missing something?"

"No," Jess said quickly.

Abby's eyebrow rose, "Ok then… I'll help. Someone needs to be a chaperone for you two."

"Abby!"

A/N: As always, reviews are love or chocolate. Either way, you can never have enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except an imaginary series 6 where the Conby wedding is interrupted by an anomaly. Memily actually get time to be happy and Jesker has screen time. And Lester is as sarcastic as ever. *sighs dreamily*

Chapter 3:

Becker woke with a start, looking wildly around to see where he was. His eyes settled on the sleeping brunette using his shoulder for a pillow and remembered. He groaned mentally, invoices. He hadn't known what he was getting himself into when he'd volunteered for this particular mission.

He smiled a little, remembering the random conversations they'd sparked to amuse themselves during the tedious work.

"Someone looks happy," Abby ambled into the living room, clutching a cup of tea like a lifeline.

"Am I not allowed to smile?" Becker glanced up at her, shifting slightly but was careful not to wake Jess.

"Maybe it's the company," Abby smirked, taking a sip of tea.

"Yes, Abigail, you're charming," Becker drawled, eliciting a wide smile from the blonde.

"Thanks Becker, but I wasn't talking about me," Her eyes fell to Jess. "So are you going to ask her to the ball?"

"What is it with women that makes them go crazy about dances?" Becker asked.

She shrugged, "Gender stereotype? I don't know. I just think you two would look adorable together."

"Are you trying to set me up?" The soldier sent her a death glare. Being set up never worked. Ever.

"I'm giving you a gentle nudge," Abby corrected, still smiling at her friend.

"If this is gentle, I'd hate to see you be obvious," Becker said dryly.

"That would involve locking you two in a cupboard," Abby told him honestly, her smile growing larger.\.

"Don't you dare," Becker sat up, startling Jess awake.

"What's going on?" She asked, rubbing sleep from her blue eyes.

"We were just talking about the ball," Abby lied quickly. She didn't think Jess would like her meddling in her life.

Jess groaned and fell back onto the arm of the couch, "Again? It was all the lab techs were talking about yesterday. They're jealous 'cos they weren't invited."

"I take it you're not a fan of balls then?" Becker asked, slightly surprised. Jess seemed the type to enjoy dressing up and going to fancy parties.

She nodded, "I've been to way to many."

"Really?" Abby asked, curious. She didn't want to prove Lester right and make a fool of herself. "What happens?"

"Basically a bunch of people get together in pretty clothes and dance and make small talk. Nothing strenuous. It can be fun."

"Depends on how you define fun," Becker replied dryly.

Abby rolled her eyes, "Just because you're Mr Negativity, doesn't mean the rest of us are."

"I am not negative," Becker turned to Jess, "Jess, tell her."

The young woman looked at her roommate then back to the soldier. "Sorry, you kinda are."

"It's called being prepared," Becker huffed, folding his arms.

"It's called being pessimistic," Abby countered, leaning over to poke him in the arm.

"Not that it's a bad thing," Jess said quickly. "It's good, really."

"Yeah, someone has to do it," Abby added, smirking at Becker's indignant huff. It wasn't often she could tease him.

"Are you two ganging up on me?" Becker asked, glancing at the two women.

"No."

"Yes."

"Abby!"

"Jess!" Abby mimicked her friends chastising tone.

"I hate you," Jess pulled a face at Abby.

"Lucky it's my turn to make breakfast then isn't it?"

Becker quirked an eyebrow, "You two have a schedule for making breakfast?"

"Jess is…" Abby searched for a word, "Time conscious."

"Hey, that's not a bad thing," Jess cut in.

"No, it's good. Abby and Connor need the discipline."

Abby narrowed her eyes at the soldier, "Just for that, you can get your own breakfast."

"Didn't anyone teach you that it's impolite to kick a guest out on an empty stomach?"

"Who said I was polite?" Abby smirked.

Becker nodded, "Touché."

The door flew open, startling all of them. Connor stumbled in, rubbing his eyes like an exhausted child. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Jess and I live here," Abby stood up. "And I thought you did too. But you haven't been here for weeks."

Becker was surprised at the venom in the normally more placid girl. He didn't think her and Connor were that unstable. A sideways glance at Jess confirmed that the outburst was a normal occurrence in the flat.

She caught his eye and motioned for them to give the squabbling couple some privacy. He nodded and followed her as they silently moved down the hall and went into one of the bedrooms.

She closed the door behind them. "Are they always like that?" Becker asked softly.

"A bit yeah," Jess shrugged. "Connor's not often here."

Becker looked around the room and smiled. It was typical Jess. Every wall was a different colour – matching pastel shades of blue, green, pink and yellow. The furniture was white and filled with brightly coloured throw pillows. He hid his smile quickly, so she didn't see. "It's very bright," He said, faking a disapproving tone.

"I was 18," She replied huffily. "And it's my room."

His grin resurfaced, "Relax Jess, I was kidding."

She grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at him, "That wasn't very funny."

"You're awfully defensive," He caught the pillow easily – her aim was surprisingly good.

"Forgive me if I don't like people insulting my room," She drawled, giving him a pointed look. She sat on the bed, cross legged.

"You're forgiven," He smiled teasingly. It was so easy to rile her up; it was fun.

She threw another pillow at him and it hit him in the head. "You deserved that," She laughed.

He gave her an evil grin as he knelt down to pick it up, "You read my file, didn't you, Jess?" The sly confidence in his tone made her heart skip a beat. He was up to something.

"Yes," She said, looking at him curiously.

"You do realise that I am a brilliant marksman, don't you?"

"Yes," She had no idea where he was going with this.

"So you realise that you just started war with me, right?" He threw the pillow at her just as she opened her mouth to reply.

"That wasn't fair," Jess glared at him.

"War's not fair," He retorted.

"You're mean."

Becker nodded, "Extremely."

"Okay," She grinned at him, "You're on. Winner buys breakfast."

"More like lunch," Becker checked his watch, eyes widening at the late hour. He never slept that late.

"Fine," Jess rolled her eyes again. "Brunch then."

"Alright. On three," He knelt down to pick up a pillow and she leant over, unintentionally giving him a look down her shirt. He looked away pointedly. "One. Two-"

She threw one at him and it landed on his stomach. "Three," She announced cheerfully a second later.

"Cheater."

"All's fair in war," She parroted his earlier words as she gathered more ammunition.

It was his turn to roll his eyes, "Funny," He declared dryly, tossing more pillows at her in a flurry of motion.

She let loose a small shriek as they pelted down on her.

"If this was a real war, I would have won by now," Becker told her as he sat down on the floor.

She rolled onto her stomach and frowned at him, "You don't have to go easy on me. I'm not that pathetic."

"Okay," He stood up and picked her up, slinging her over one shoulder.

"Hey!"

"You told me not to take it easy on you,"

"So is this how you deal with all of the creatures?" Jess asked as she swung in mid air, looking at Becker's back.

"Some of them yeah," Becker nodded even though she couldn't see.

She kicked, trying to get loose. "You can put me down now."

"And why on earth would I want to do that?"

"Because…" She trailed off, trying to think of a reason. "I have to go shopping."

He turned to look at her over grown wardrobe, "I think you have enough clothes, Jess."

"You can never have enough clothes," She retorted cheerfully. "And I have to find a dress for the stupid ball."

He frowned, seeing a formal looking dress at the edge of her wardrobe, "Can't you just wear an old one?"

Jess sighed, "You are _such_ a guy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" It sounded like an insult to him.

"You can't wear an old dress to something like this."

"Why not?"

"You just can't!"

"Why?" He couldn't help but ask, feeling her frustration in the tenseness of her body.

"You just don't," She said after a moment of trying to come up with a reason.

"That's a brilliant reason," He said sardonically.

Connor opened the door, "What are you doing?"

Becker put Jess on the ground immediately; moving so fast Jess almost stumbled.

"Pillow fight."

"Talking."

"Riight," Connor looked at both of them. "Well I'm going to bed and Abby went for a walk. So you two can go back to your pillow fight slash talking thing. Just keep it down, yeah?"

"Yep," Jess answered cheerfully.

"Okay," Connor walked away, sending darting looks back to them.

"I don't even want to imagine what he's thinking right now."

"I never want to imagine what he's thinking," Becker said, watching Connor walk away. "And you owe me breakfast."

Jess crinkled her nose, "I was hopping you'd forget about that."

"I have the memory of an elephant," Becker declared as his stomach rumbled.

"And apparently the appetite," She giggled. "Come on, let's feed the beast."

**A/N: This came out fluffier than I expected so sorry about the cavities. Thank you for all the reviews/favourite/alerts etc. I will be replying now. I'm now safe from the feral hippies and officially caught up on series 5. The last episode was soo good! (Spoiler: Who else thought that Abby had a different surprise for Connor when she whispered in his ear?) Anyway, reviews are much loved. They're food for writing. And you know what happens when writing is starved… **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews/alerts/favourites. They make me so happy it's silly.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, Matt and Emily would have their own show giving the Doctor a run for his money with timey whimey mess ups. **

Chapter 4

"Is it bad that I'm hoping for an anomaly?" Becker asked Jess as he walked into the break room the senior ARC staffed shared.

Jess looked up from her crossword, "It's a bit quiet isn't it."

Becker flicked the switch on the kettle, "Quiet is one anomaly a day, not one a week."

"You're bored, aren't you?" Her blue eyes shone with amusement.

"Yes." He didn't bother to lie. She would wrangle the truth out of him anyway.

"Most people would be happy with a mid week holiday."

"_I _am not most people."

She laughed, "I guess chasing dinosaurs makes us pretty unique."

"I suppose," Becker nodded in agreement. Not many people could claim that and not end up in a mental asylum. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No, thanks. Abby and I snuck out before and went to starbucks."

"Jessica Parker," Becker tsked, shaking his head. "I expected better from you. You know you're not supposed to leave the ARC during a shift."

She grinned innocently at him, "It was completely Abby's idea."

"Of course it was."

"What was my idea?" Abby walked into the break room, looking suspiciously at the two of them.

"Our temporary escape," Jess answered, brushing her fringe out of her eyes.

Abby sighed, more playfully than anything else. "Remind me never to tell you a secret: you'd just tell everyone."

"No I wouldn't."

A sudden thought struck Becker, "How did you two get out without tripping any of them alarms or someone seeing you?"

Both women gave him a smile. "That's a secret," Jess told him.

"If there's any holes in security, I need to know."

"Relax Becker," Abby said, putting a hand on his arm. "Jess just talked to one of the guards. He's sweet on her. Actually kind of cute."

"Sweet on her?" Becker echoed.

Jess uncrossed her legs, glaring at Becker, "You know, you don't have to sound so surprised at that."

"I just meant that…"

"Yes?" Jess prompted, more that slightly eager to hear what he meant. The man sent more mixed signals than a broken radio.

"That…" He had no idea what he meant. He just didn't like the idea of another man – one of his men- approaching her. But he wasn't going to tell her that. "I'm surprised you got away with it," He finished lamely.

Abby smirked; she knew there was more too it than that. "You'd be surprised what we get away with."

"Abby!" Jess hissed at her friend.

Becker quirked an eyebrow, "Would I now?"

"She doesn't mean that," The small brunette said quickly, turning pink.

"Yep," Abby nodded, a satisfied smile on her face. "But you're not gonna find out from me." _Let his own curiosity lead him to Jess._

"Jess?" Becker turned to her and gave her a pleading look. "Please?"

"Nope," She shook her head. "Not gonna say anything."

"Jessica," He leaned over the coffee table between them and looked into her eyes, trying to persuade her without words.

"Becker, the whole puppy dog eyes thing doesn't work, trust me," Matt strode in and went straight for the coffee.

Becker bristled at the statement, "Maybe I'm better than you."

"Yeah," Matt scoffed, pouring water into a mug he'd grabbed from the shelf, "Maybe. Did it work, Jess?"

"Nope," She said gleefully. She'd started to develop immunity to his soul gazing looks. She'd had to.

Becker straightened, "Almost."

"Did not!"

"Kinda did," Abby pipped up.

"Traitor," Jess narrowed her eyes at her.

Abby shrugged it off – it was the truth after all even if the younger woman didn't realise it.

"Before you all start world war three, I have a question," Matt declared and took a sip of coffee. "Jess, will you accompany me to the ball?"

"What?"

"As friends," He clarified, feeling two pairs of eyes on his back. "You said that you didn't want to go with a stranger and I don't want to torture anyone else by dragging them along."

Okay," She agreed. "One condition though."

"Name it," Matt said, expecting something of the sort.

"We only stay as short as socially acceptable and then we find the nearest pub."

Matt smiled. That suited him just fine. "I think we can arrange that."

"Good," She smiled back at him. "You guys should come too. We could make a night of it."

"You'll probably half to put up with Connor doing karaoke," Abby warned, half joking.

"That's okay," Matt said. "We'll bring ear plugs."

Red lights flashed and the anomaly alert sounded. All of them sprung into action.

Jess looked to Becker as they filed out, "Bet you're not bored now."

"No."

She ran past, teetering on outrageously high heels. Becker stared after her, not quite sure what had just happened in the break room.

Connor caught up to them. "What's going on?"

"Matt asked Jess to the ball," Becker said absently, his mind still wondering why.

"Cool," Connor caught sight of Becker's face. "Not cool then?"

"Pardon?"

A light bulb lit up in Connor's head, "You fancy Jess."

"I beg your pardon?" The words were polite but the tone was anything but.

"You fancy Jess. Oh my god. It makes sense now. Wow, never thought she would be your type."

"And what is my type?" Becker asked coldly.

Connor didn't notice the arctic tone. "I don't really know. Never seen you with a bid before, have I? You've got good taste though. Jess is nice."

"I do not," Becker dropped his volume as they entered the busy OPS room, "Fancy Jess."

"Yeah right," Connor rolled his eyes. If he could see it, then the soldier had it bad. "And dinosaurs don't roam around London."

If looks could kill, the young tech would be dead. "Connor, shut up."

"Shutting up."

A/N: Now hands up if you saw that coming? Gold star to whoever did. Tell me what you thought. Pretty please.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favourites. You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 5

Connor faltered at the door, unsure if he should enter or not. Abby had been incredibly angry with him the last time they saw each other. In the end, she made the decision for him.

"Are you going to stand out there all day?" She asked, not even turning to see how was hovering outside her lab. It could only be Connor. It was always Connor.

"Depends," He pushed the door open and leant against the doorframe. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I'm always mad at you Connor," There was no malice in her tone, no matter the words and he took that as a good sign. "Even if I don't get to see you anymore."

He winced at the jibe but refused rise to the bait, "I'm not here to fight."

She turned, a sad expression on her face. "Then why are you here?"

"You make it seem like all we do is fight."

Abby raised an eyebrow, "Is that such an unrealistic assumption?"

"Yes," He thought for a minute. "No. But that's not why I'm here?"

"So why are you here Connor?" This time barely concealed anger penetrated her words. There was only so long she could keep her temper under control. "April kick you out?"

"No, actually she begged me to stay-"

"I bet she did," Abby muttered darkly.

Connor saw her eyes darken with anger and moved on quickly. "But that's beside the point."

"Of course it is," She rolled her eyes.

"Can I get a word in, please?" He asked exasperatedly, taking a tentative step towards her. The door swung shut behind him, locking him in the lioness' den.

"One word."

"More than one. I promise you'll like this idea. I know I've been lousy. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks-"

"-You haven't."

He ignored her outburst, "But I haven't been completely blind. I've got an idea that you'll love."

She looked at him dubiously. "The last time you said that, we ended up locked outside Jess' flat in our underwear."

"Yeah… can we not mention that? Anyway, this is much better than that."

Abby sighed, "Out with it Connor." The blonde wasn't known for her patience.

He looked around, as if checking for eavesdroppers then leant over and whispered in her ear.

A grin slowly spread over her face. She cupped his face with a hand, "You're not as dumb as I thought."

"Hey, I'm a certified genius," He retorted, leaning into her hand. It had been a long time since they were this close and not about to kill each other. He'd missed it more than he thought.

She smirked at him, "Definitely certifiable."

"You like the idea?"

She nodded, still smiling. "I love it."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#

Abby walked up to Jess, an oversized blue envelope in hand. "Hey," She greeted as Jess spun around in her chair, "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Not really. Why?" There was an excited gleam in the blonde's eyes that Jess hadn't seen for a long time.

"Connor bought me a day spa thing. Well it's a night spa."

"That's nice," Jess said slowly, not really understanding why Abby was telling her this.

Abby smiled at the younger woman's cluelessness. _This will be fun_. "Unfortunately, he could only buy a double pass and you can just imagine Connor in a fancy place like this. It'll be a disaster."

A smile lit up Jess's pale face, "Abby, you know I love you right?"

"Yep," Abby laughed. "We'll leave at the end of the shift, yeah?"

"Absolutely," Jess nodded eagerly. This was just what she needed. "And Abby," She added as Abby turned to walk away. "Thanks."

Abby's smile grew wider, "No problem. It's what friends do."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Connor jogged up to Becker, "Hey mate, slow down a bit."

"If I was walking any slower, I'd be going backwards," The soldier said, glancing over his shoulder to Connor. "I see you've escaped your lab."

"I see you're in a foul mood," Connor counted. "Something to do with a little brunette, I wonder?"

"Connor, you do know that I am trained to kill a man in 13 different ways with one had, don't you?"

"That's very James Bond of you," The tech quipped. "I always pictured you more as-"

"Action Man?" Becker finished for him, recalling the annoying nick name forced upon him when he'd first arrived at the arc.

"Exactly," Connor nodded. "Bond's a spy; you're a soldier. There's a difference."

"Not much," Becker said. "Did you want something, Connor?"

He started fidgeting. "It's been ages since we've hung out or anything without the looming threat of death by creatures and I thought it'd be cool to play X-box or something. You know, like the old days."

Becker raised an eyebrow- he knew there had to be more to this. "Abby and Jess lets you play X-box until 3 in the morning even though you curse worse than a sailor when you're loosing."

He shrugged, "Haven't really been playing it that much. And it's Jess' X-box. I just bought some better games when I got back."

"What's going on, Connor?" Becker asked with a sigh. "You've been too busy to even say hello and now you want a boy's night in?"

"Hey! Can't a guy just miss his mate?" Connor asked defensively, throwing his hands up in the war in the universal gesture of frustration.

Becker raised an eyebrow again and waited for a better explanation.

"Okay. Fine, you win. You know you're scarier than Lester sometimes."

"Sometime this century Temple."

"I gave Abby a spa certificate thing so her and Jess are going there."

"So you're afraid of the monster under the bed?" Becker asked mockingly.

"No!" Connor exclaimed. "I just thought some company would be nice."

Becker clapped him on the back, "I was just messing with you. I'm in as long as you buy the beer and pizzas."

"Deal."

#Primeval#Primeval#Primeval

Jess sunk into the hot bubbles of the spa, relaxing into the cushioned, reclining spa seat. "This is amazing." After a two hour massage and sauna visit, the spa was the perfect end to the evening.

"I know," Abby sat on the opposite seat, only her head visible above the scented water. "Last time I came here, I didn't want to leave."

"You've been here before?"

She nodded, "Jenny brought me and Sarah here one weekend. It's how Connor knew to buy the pass."

"Really? He remembered that?"

"It's funny: he can remember stupid details but be clueless on the big stuff."

"At least he tries."

"Yeah… He tries," Abby smiled then closed her eyes. "I just wish he'd try a little harder sometimes."

"At least you've got someone that obviously loves you," Jess could keep the green monster from rising in her voice.

"At least you don't come second to a machine and a lab," Abby retorted then sighed. "No, we're not talking about Connor anymore. Let's talk about something else."

"Like what?"

"The weather's nice today," Abby said, not being able to think of anything else.

"Abby," Jess laughed.

"I don't know…. What's your favourite movie?"

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Becker leant back in the lounge chair, "I'm going to kill him. He's making it too easy."

"Yeah well, not everyone is a superhero, mate. Give him a chance," Connor frowned at the screen as he tried to save his avatar from dying. They'd been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops for the last 5 hours and Connor had died more than 50 times.

"Apparently no one knows how to not get killed," Becker smirked as Connor died again.

"Hey, at least I can talk to the girl I like."

Becker's grip tightened on the joystick, "What did you say?"

The copious amount of beer he'd drunk made him braver than usual. Or dumber. "You fancy Jess but you're too scared to tell her."

"I am not scared," Becker retorted angrily. "And I don't fancy Jess," He added quickly as Connor opened his mouth.

"I don't blame you mate. She's a nice girl. And she fancies you."

He kept his eyes fixed fastidiously on the screen, "Did she tell you that?"

"What is this? High school? No mate, it's kinda obvious."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Jeez, and everyone said I was blind."

"You are blind, Connor."

Connor turned to face his friend, "Can I give you the best piece of advice Stephen ever gave me?"

"Do I have a choice?" Becker drawled dryly.

"Tell her," Connor said simply, remembering the exact words Stephen used. "If you like her, tell her."

"That simple is it?"

"Yep," Connor nodded.

"So did you tell Abby then?" Becker asked curiously. He knew that they didn't truly get together until their year lost in the past.

"Yep," Connor nodded again, this time with less enthusiasm.

"What happened?"

His words all mixed together as he spoke so fast Becker could barely decipher the tech's words. "She was hanging off a cliff; I thought was gonna die and so I told her."

"Then what did you do?"

"Saved her, didn't I," Connor smiled. "With a bit of help from Cutter and Stephen."

"Then you lived happily ever after?" Becker asked sardonically. He couldn't help but think details were missing.

"Well I didn't so much as tell her as yell it at her. Then I kinda forgot I said it and Caroline was there so it all got a bit complicated."

"Complicated," Becker echoed. "And you forgot?"

"In the heat of the moment. And I was a little embarrassed… Can we not go into details here, mate? We're trying to sort you out, not rehash why I'm an idiotic genius."

"Why should I be taking romantic advice from you?" Becker shook his head at Connor.

"Well you don't exactly have any one else, do you?" Connor looked around the empty flat. "Besides, you can't possibly screw it up as bad as I did."

"True," He nodded, conceding his point.

Connor frowned, "You weren't supposed to agree to that."

"Well I did," The soldier stood up, "I need another drink."

"We finished all the beer."

Becker rolled his eyes, "There's a pub around the corner."

"Go there often do you?" Connor smirked. "Even though you live on the other side of town."

"Shut up, Connor." The tips of his ears were slightly pink. "And you're buying."

"Okay, I'll buy the first round."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#

Jess rolled over and stretched, smiling into her pillow. Last night was fun; she'd missed having girlfriends to talk and giggle about stupid things with. Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced at her alarm. _Ten to nine,_ she thought. _Do I go to yoga or not?_

Discipline won over laziness and she dragged herself out of her nice warm bed. She changed quickly and threw her hair up into a messy high bun. No one would care at yoga. Jess glanced around for her car keys, searching under the furniture.

_On the dining room table,_ she remembered. She'd tossed them there when she and Abby had gotten home at midnight. She opened the door quietly, trying not to let it squeak and wake Abby and Connor.

Yawning, she walked out into the lounge room and went to the dinner table. Then she let out a startled shriek. Jess darted into Abby's room, slamming the door behind her.

Abby sat up in bed, staring groggily at the brunette, "Jess? What's wrong?"

Jess pointed out into the dinning room. "Why is there a half naked Becker on my dinning room table?"

**A/N: This ended up way longer than it was supposed to but oh well. I think it's my favourite chapter so far. I put extra conby in for the people who requested more. I was surprised by how well it turned out. I normally can't write them very well. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to all that review/alerted/favourited this. I love you all. **

**Chapter 6**

_Abby sat up in bed, staring groggily at the brunette, "Jess? What's wrong?"_

_Jess pointed out into the dinning room. "Why is there a half naked Becker on my dinning room table?"_

"What?" Abby blinked, the information slowly filtering through her sleep addled brain. She kicked the sleeping lump next to her, "Connor, what did you do?"

Connor stirred, "What?" He slurred then grabbed his head. "Ow. Don't yell."

"I haven't got to the yelling part. Yet," Abby said, giving him a dark look. "What did you two get up to last night?"

"Head. Hurt. No talking," The hung-over man rolled away from his girlfriend, clutching at his head as if to hold it together.

"Yes talking," Jess said. "I want answers."

"Jess? What are you doing in here?" Connor opened an eye as he wrapped the blanket securely around himself. "You don't normally come in here."

"Well," The brunette smiled tightly. "Normally there isn't a man lying on my table."

"A half naked man," Abby added, still glaring at Connor.

He frowned, trying to think back to the night before, "We didn't bring home a stripper. Why would we bring home a male stripper?"

"It's Becker, Connor," Abby explained, her tone angry.

"Why is Becker half naked?"

"That's what I was asking you," Abby said with an exasperated sigh. She wasn't getting anywhere with him. "What did you do last night?"

"Played x-box, had a few beers, went to the pub and came home."

"That's all?" If looks could kill, Jess would have killed Connor by now. Adrenaline from the shock of finding her normally very upright colleague passed out on her dining room table – a colleague she like liked – was still pumping.

"Yeah… No… I think he had a few vodkas. I'm a little fuzzy on the details myself."

"You said you'd get him tipsy, not comatose," Abby hissed in his ear, so low that Jess couldn't hear.

"Sorry," He mumbled almost incoherently. "The plan can still work, yeah?"

Abby glanced at Jess out of the corner of her eye. She was still flushed and moving from foot to foot nervously. It was at times like this that Abby remembered that the field coordinator wasn't even twenty yet. "Yeah," She nodded. "Jess?" She spoke up and Jess looked at her. "Can you wake Becker up while I deal with this lump?"

"Me? But…"

Connor groaned theatrically and leant over the edge of the bed, "I'm gonna hurl."

"Jess… please?" Abby begged, trying not to laugh at Connor as he melodramatically grabbed at his unruly mess of hair. "I've got my own hung-over guy to deal with."

"Okay," She agreed, her voice small and darted out of the room almost as fast as she'd run in.

Abby dropped back against her pillows. "You can cut the act now, Jess is gone."

"I'm not acting," Connor groaned.

"Suck it up Connor," She said without a trace of sympathy. It was his own doing, after all. "You have to fix this."

"Why do I have to fix everything?" She could hear the annoyed pout in his voice.

"Because," She crawled so she was lying next to him, half dangling off the edge of the bed. Abby looked into his eyes, "You can fix everything."

"You think so?" Pride crept into his voice.

"Absolutely," Abby nodded, smiling cheerfully at him. "And normally it's your fault anyway."

His eyes narrowed, "I hate you."

She poked him on the nose, "You love me."

"I-"He shot up like her touch had electrocuted him and jumped off the bed, running for the toilet down the hall.

She smiled after him. _Karma's a bitch._

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#

Jess walked apprehensively towards Becker. He was so still that if she couldn't see the steady rise and fall of his bare chest, she would swear he was dead. And she had no idea how to wake him.

She stood at the head of the table, staring at him, which was weird. She shook her head, telling herself to pull it together. "We're friends," She mumbled to herself. "Friends help friends in ridiculous and embarrassing circumstances. We're just friends." Jess squashed the annoying voice in her head that told her to throw the _just_ out the window.

"Becker?" She asked, clearing her throat. "Are you awake?"

_Stupid question. Really really stupid question. _

"You need to get up now," She added, kicking herself for acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. She was a professional at the apex of her field. She wasn't a little girl who went weak at the knees because some handsome solider was shirtless in her flat.

_Oh, who am I kidding?_

"Becker?" Jess poked him tentatively in the shoulder. He mumbled something she couldn't understand. "It's 9:00."

He swatted at her hand and rolled over, "Yes."

"That wasn't a question."

"No."

"How much did you drink last night?" Jess frowned. She'd been out with the team and seen him drink Matt under the table and still be able to speak coherently. She'd never seen him like this.

"Maybe."

"You're making no sense," She told him, giving him a concerned look. He always made sense, he was also logical – annoyingly so.

"So."

"You're drunk."

"You're pretty," His eyes fluttered open, staring unfocusedly up at her.

"Ah…" She didn't know what to say.

"You're not talking," His words were slightly slurred but still intelligible. "You always talk."

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked ruefully. It was bad of her to take advantage of him like this but who knew when she would be able to get an honest answer out of him again.

"No," He smiled lazily. "Pretty."

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "Okay," She closed her eyes and went into operational mode. "You need to sit up."

"I'm comfortable here," He smiled again and rubbed his shoulders into the table.

"Fine," Jess knew better than to argue with a drunk person. "But you're going to have a glass of water because you are going to have a massive hangover in a few hours." She walked over to the kitchen sink, keeping an eye on him.

"I'll be fine," He waved her off. "You don't need to worry."

"It's my job to worry," She retorted, more out of habit than anything else. This banter was more familiar to her; it felt safe.

"I seem to have lost my shirt," A frown marred his face as he glanced down and patted his chest. "Do you know where it went?"

"No Becker, I don't know where you put your shirt. Here," She held out the glass of water. "Drink."

"Why?" He sat up and took the glass out of her hand but didn't drink anything.

"Because it will rehydrate you."

"Why?"

"Because the alcohol you had dehydrates you."

"Why?"

Jess huffed, blowing her fringe out of her blue eyes, "You can be insufferable sometimes."

"And you're adorable when you get annoyed."

She froze. "What did you say?"

"And when you're flustered," He continued, staring at her.

Abby strode into the room, "Good. You're up," She punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"Getting drunk and getting Connor drunk. And annoying Jess. Take your pick."

"Sorry Jess," Becker ducked his head apologetically then registered what Abby had said

"It's ok," She shrugged, still blushing from his earlier comments. "It's no big deal."

"Mate, why the hell are you on the table?" Connor walked in, his hair wet from a shower. "I left you on the couch."

"It was too soft."

"Too soft?" Connor echoed, "Who are you? Goldilocks?"

"No, that would be Abby," He laughed at his own joke.

"Oh Jesus, you're still drunk," Abby whirled on Connor. "How much did you give him?"

"Hey!" Connor objected. "He's an adult."

"I am capable of looking after myself," Becker stood and swayed, almost falling over. Jess caught him, steadying him until his world stoped spinning.

"Apparently not today," Abby sighed. "Sit back down before you squash Jess."

"I would never squash anyone," He replied, allowing Jess to help him into a chair. "Especially Jess."

"And why's that?" Connor leaned forward, craning to hear what the now loose lipped man would reveal.

"Because she's Jess," Becker deadpanned like it was obvious.

Abby rolled her eyes at them. "I need coffee."

**A/N: There's more than this to come; it was just getting too long so I had to cut it and this was the best place to do so. I go back to school soon so updates may not be as quick and tumblr is damned distracting. **


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favourites. You guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7:

"I'm hungry," Becker announced suddenly and stood up. All of them were sitting around the dining table, nursing coffee or tea and, in Connor's case, a very sore head.

"What do you want?" Jess asked, trying to be helpful. She watched him wearily, in case his balance disappeared.

"Pancakes," He thought for a moment. "With strawberries and cream."

Abby nodded, "We can do pancakes."

Connor smirked at her, "We? You burn water."

"You blow up everything," Abby glared at him. "You don't mind cooking, do you Jess?"

"Nope," She smiled. "It's fine. Probably safest."

"And she has me to help," Becker said, grabbing Jess' arm and pulling her to her feet.

"You can cook?" Jess asked incredulously over her shoulder as she walked to the kitchen.

"And fix a car," Becker nodded, bragging slightly.

She turned to grab the flour from the pantry and walked into a wall. A tall wall of shirtless muscle. "Don't sneak up on me like that," She frowned at him.

"But it's fun," He replied and grabbed her hand. "Dance with me," He ordered as he pulled her flush to his body. He started an out of tempo waltz to his own music.

"Becker!" Jess cried, laughing as they whirled around the kitchen. "Stop!"

"Never!"

"Becker!" She was laughing in earnest now, smiling brightly.

"This is my only chance." She didn't hear the disappointment in his voice.

"No it's not," She looked up at him. "I'll save you a dance. I promise."

"You're going to have guys lined up out the door," Becker continued, his tone darkening.

"No I'm not," She rolled her eyes. She'd never been that popular with guys, not like that.

"Yes you are," He nodded sagely. He'd be in that line with a neon sign if he thought he'd stand a chance.

"I'll still save you a dance."

"What will Matt say?"

"He won't say anything," Jess answered, looking at Becker curiously. If she didn't know better, she would assume him to be jealous. But that was impossible. That would mean that he fancied her. "He's a friend – not my bodyguard."

"Are you two cooking or chatting?" Connor piped up, interrupting them, "Because I'm hungry."

Jess blushed crimson as she realised that Becker's hands were still on her waist and she was so close she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. "We're cooking," She said quickly, taking a step back.

"You know you could make your own food, Temple," Becker drawled, leaning against the kitchen counter. "And leave us alone."

Connor muttered something that none of them could hear.

"What was that?" Becker asked loudly. He took a menacing step towards Connor.

"Nothing," Connor gulped. When Becker turned his attention back to Jess, Connor mumbled, "Even when he's pissed as a parrot, he's still scary."

Abby smirked at him, "Well you did bring it on yourself."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Jess mixed together the dry ingredients, keeping one eye on Becker as he taste tested all of the ingredients on the bench.

"I think you're sugar is off," He declared after making a face at the taste of the white powder.

She leant over and read the label, "That's bicarb soda."

Becker squinted and held up the canister, reading the label, "So it is. Where's the sugar?" He put it down and eagerly looked around like an excited puppy.

"I never thought you'd have a sweet tooth," Jess commented, deliberately not telling him which of the identical red canisters held the sugar. He didn't need a hypoglycaemic crisis as well as a hangover.

"I like you, don't I?" He replied, smiling down at her. His definition of personal space seemed to have disappeared along with his sobriety.

"Ah-" She didn't know what to say. He was blatantly flirting with her but she couldn't tell if he meant what he was saying or not.

"How long does it-" Abby trailed off when she saw how closely they were standing. "Am I interrupting something?" She grinned, like the cat that ate the canary. Connor's plan was working. For once.

"What? No. No. I was just… looking for the sugar," Jess lied, wincing internally at how fake she sounded.

"Here," He reached in front of her, his arm brushing her stomach. "Right in front of-" Becker stumbled, loosing his balance. "Oof." They tumbled down in a rain of white sugar, landing in a tangled mess of limbs.

She landed on top of Becker, "Sorry," She said immediately.

"You look like a snow angel," He reached up and stroked her cheek, removing the white powder covering it.

The absurdity of the situation hit Jess and she started laughing. She rolled off Becker and landed on the sugar covered floor, still laughing. Becker joined her, not really understanding why but going with it anyway. She was cute when she laughed, he reasoned.

"Okay, that's it. You two are useless. Get out," Abby pointed down the hall. "I'll cook."

That made Jess laugh harder. "I can," She managed, gasping for breath, "Finish it."

"Really?" Abby raised an eyebrow. "You can't even breathe. Come on, how hard can it be?"

"Famous last words," Jess told her, getting up slowly. She pulled Becker up using two hands, leaving one to steady him. Or that's what she told herself anyway. "If you're sure…"

Abby nodded, "I'm sure. Go on, get."

As they walked down the hall, they heard a sound that sounded suspiciously like Connor's head hitting the table, "We're gonna starve, aren't we?"

Becker yawned; stretching then stumbled again and draped an arm around Jess for support. "Sorry," He mumbled, eyes going unfocused. "Everything keeps moving."

"Here," Jess led him to her bed and sat him down, not realising until too late that it was her bedroom they were in. She tried not to go red as she thought it through. Stupid Jess. "Just sit down a minute."

"It's too soft," He slid down off the bed and curled up into a ball on the floor. "That's better."

Jess shook her head at him, "You are weird."

"But you still like me," Becker mumbled.

"Maybe. Maybe not," She tried being coy.

"You l-"

"Fire! It's on fire!" Abby's frantic yell from the kitchen had Jess running to her in a split second.

"What did you do?"

"I don't know," The blonde turned on the fire extinguisher and sprayed the frying pan, smothering the flames soaring into the air. "It was fine one minute and then it exploded."

"So I'm not the only one that does it then," Connor smirked at her.

"Go check on Becker," Abby growled.

"He's drunk, not infirm," Connor retorted but obeyed the order anyway.

Jess stood on tip toe and surveyed the damage. "Nothing a good clean won't fix."

"I'm sorry," Abby said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Not your fault," Jess replied. "Accidents happen."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Connor walked into Jess' room, squinting against the colours and light coming through the large bay window. "I'm here to make sure you don't choke on your own vomit," He declared, stepping over Becker and falling onto the bed.

"Delightful, Temple," Becker said dryly. "Jess was nicer."

"Yeah well I'm not Jess," Connor put a hand to his head, willing the marching band to stop playing.

"She's much prettier than you."

"Well duh."

"And nicer. And smarter."

"Hey!" Connor sat up indignantly but laid back down immediately as his entire body protested. "No need to be mean."

"Jess is brilliant," Becker continued his drunken declaration. "I think…"

"There's a first," Connor muttered darkly.

"I think…"

"Get to the point!" 

"I think I love her."

"You what?" Connor sat up straight, not believing his own ears. He ignored the throbbing in his head. "What did you say?"

The only answer was a roaring snore.

Jess poked her head around the door, "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," Connor gave her a thin smile and she ducked out of the room. He threw a pillow at the now sleeping Becker. "Couldn't you have waited 30 seconds for that? My master plan would have worked. Stupid soldier."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Becker woke to the sound of the turning page. He held back a groan, knowing his overly sensitive head would regret it. He opened his eyes slowly and frowned at the large, bright pink teddy bear staring at him. "Where the hell am I?"

"Hello to you," Jess' voice floated down from above.

He turned –slowly- to see her lying on her bed, one headphone in an ear and reading a magazine. "How did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" She asked, concerned. She looked down at him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Connor helping me to the couch," He answered after thinking for a moment.

"Oh."

"I didn't do anything… embarrassing, did I?" He asked hesitantly.

"No," Jess shook her head, "Unless you count a rendition of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. I never knew you could sing."

"What?" What little colour in his face drained. "I did what?"

She burst out laughing, "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

"You're messing with me?" Becker asked, glaring at her.

"Sorry," She said, still giggling. "You didn't do anything. Abby kicked you out of the kitchen for making a mess, but that's all." She left out the part where they fell on each other.

"Good," He breathed. "Oh god," He could feel the bile rising in his throat.

"Bathroom's next door," Jess supplied helpfully, noting the green tinge to his pallor.

He didn't bother to say thanks as he stumbled the few metres to the bathroom, practically slamming the door behind him. After he'd thrown up everything he'd eaten in the last week, he collapsed onto the cold tiles, relishing the cool against his burning skin.

A light knock brought him back to earth, "Becker? You okay?"

"Fine," He croaked.

Jess opened the door and gave him a sympathetic look. "Fine is relative, I suppose, is it?"

"Yes."

She walked to the sink and dampened a washcloth then sat next to him and put it on his forehead. "Better?"

He had to bit his lip to stop himself crying out at how good it felt. He settled for a curt nod.

"Abby finished breakfast without setting anything else on fire, if you're interested," Jess told him, keeping her voice down.

"No food," Becker said, holding his stomach.

"You're safer not eating it to be honest," She paused, "Don't tell her I said that."

"You're secret's safe with me."

"And eating would mean going out there," She glanced over her shoulder as if she could see through walls into the lounge room.

"Are they fighting again?" Becker asked.

"The opposite," Jess answered curtly, letting him fill in the details. There are some things you don't want to see or hear your friends doing and a make out marathon was one of them.

"Great," He rolled his eyes. "I already feel nauseous."

"Look on the bright side," She said with a slight cheer, "They could be yelling at each other."

"True," He conceded her point and they fell into a silence that he was immensely grateful for. "What else did I do last night?" He couldn't help the nagging feeling he'd done something he shouldn't have.

"It was this morning," Jess corrected. "Nothing major, I don't think. You tried to help me make pancakes but that didn't go so well. We got sugar everywhere. Abby kicked us out then set the kitchen on fire – don't ask how because I have no idea- then you fell asleep."

"That's all?"

"Yep," She nodded.

He got to his feet slowly, letting the dizziness subside. "Shall we risk going back out?"

"They probably won't notice," Jess shrugged and opened the door. They tip toed back into her room and shut the door behind them.

Becker sat down on the bed, holding his head. "This is the worst hangover ever."

She held out a glass of water and some painkillers, "This should help."

"You're brilliant," He tossed back the pills and dry swallowed then skulled the glass of water.

"I know," She sat down on the other side of the bed, keeping distance between them.

"Are we going to hide in here all day?"

"Do you want to go out there?' Jess countered.

"Not particularly," Becker answered. "Your bed is quite comfy." He regreted the words the moment he said them.

"So you don't normally sleep on the floor then?" She asked, her lips turning up at the sides.

"Why would I sleep on the floor?"

"Well when I got up this morning you were on the table because and I quote ' It was more comfy than the couch'."

"I did not," Becker said.

"Yep," She nodded. "Came in here and curled up on the floor. Abby wanted to take a picture."

"And you didn't let her did you?" Becker looked at her, slightly panicked.

"Of course not!" She didn't say how tempted she was though.

"Good," He nodded then thought about something. "Where's my shirt?"

"I have no idea," Jess answered honestly. "You weren't wearing it this morning."

"I am going to kill Connor," Becker groaned and laid down, covering his face with his hands.

An angry yell from the lounge room made both of them jump. "I think you're gonna have to get in line," Jess said softly.

"I hate you!" Abby screamed loudly.

"Abby! You don't understand!" Connor yelled back. "I have to do this!"

"Then go do it. It's not like we were doing anything. It's not like we're important or anything."

"Abby," He pleaded.

"Get out! You want to go so go!"

The front door opened and slammed shut.

Becker and Jess looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Jess slipped off the bed, "I'm gonna check on Abby."

"Okay," Becker watched her open the door.

"Abby?" Jess wandered into the hall, spotting the blonde sitting on the couch. "Are you ok?"

"No," She shook her head. "He just…" She trailed off, her body shaking with silent sobs.

"Oh sweetie," Jess ran over and hugged her tight. "It will be ok. Eventually. Everything will work out."

"When?" Abby asked, desperate for an answer. "When he finishes this project? Because then there'll be another and another. It won't stop."

"I don't know," Jess whispered, answering honestly. There was no point in sugar coating anything.

"I hate him," Abby declared fervently.

"No you don't."

"I want to."

Jess stood up and pulled Abby with her, "This calls for desperate measures."

"An assassination team?"

"No. My secret stash," Jess led her back to her room where Becker was pointedly staring at the pink wall.

He glanced at Abby, "Are you crying?"

"No," She glared at him. "I'm impersonating a fountain. What do you think?"

"Sit," Jess directed her to the bed and sat her down next to Becker. She bent down at pulled out a drawer full of Swiss chocolates in fancy wrappers. "This will help." She emptied the drawer on the bed, littering it with the multicoloured pieces of emotional heaven.

"Chocolate cures everything," Becker said, putting a hand on Abby's shoulder. He didn't really know what he was doing but Jess' encouraging smile put him at ease.

Abby laughed humourlessly, "Can it stop Connor from being an idiot?"

"I'm sorry," Jess said sincerely and sat down on Abby's other side and gave her a sideways hug. "I'm really really sorry."

"So am I," She said sadly.

**A/N: I don't really like how this one turned out. I don't know why but I kept getting blocked. I can see the chapters ahead of this but not this one. Sigh. I blame getting distracted by the epicness that is Warehouse 13. And the return of one of my favourite captains (Jack Harkness! *sighs dreamily*) The next chapters will be better, promise!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Should've Said No**

**A/N: I'm sorry for the lack of updates. Senior year isn't as much of a cake walk as I was told. But again, thank you for all the reviews/favourites/alerts etc. They made be determined to finish this story properly. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

Becker groaned, reaching for the mobile under the pillow that was chirping incessantly. "Becker here,"

There was a pause. "Becker?" Matt's Irish drawl asked, sounding confused. "Why are you answering Jess' phone?"

"I'm not," The soldier replied then opened his eyes and looked at the bedazzled I-phone in his hand. His eyes fell to the two sleeping women next to him. "Oh sorry, I can get her if you want."

"I don't want to interrupt anything…" Matt trailed off and Becker could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Nothing to interrupt." Unfortunately. He squashed the stray thought. Covering the speaker, Becker reached for Jess, poking the sleeping brunette in the shoulder. "Rise and shine sleeping beauty."

She rolled her, head now tucked under his chin but didn't stir.

"Jess?" He raised his voice a little, not wanting to wake Abby. The blonde needed the pleasant amnesia sleep provided.

"Becker?" She opened her eyes, blinking groggily. "Hi," she smiled.

"Hi back," Becker smiled back. She looked beautiful half asleep and smiling at him like that. Then he remembered why he woke her. "Matt's on the phone," He passed her the phone.

She sat up, alarmed. "Is there an anomaly?" Jess asked, speaking quickly into the phone.

"No," Matt answered. "You said that you were taking me shopping. Something about me having no sense of style."

"Yes. Right. Of course. Sorry," She laughed quietly. "I'm a bit out of it." Jess untangled herself from the blankets with one hand and crawled over Becker's long legs in order to get off her bed. "You were picking me up, weren't you?"

"Well," Matt said, "I'm not getting into that purple contraption of yours.

Jess laughed and started going through her wardrobe, "Point taken."

"I'll be at your place in 20 minutes. Unless you and Becker need more time," He added quickly.

"For what?" Jess asked without thinking then blushed. "It's not like that."

"Of course it's not," Matt agreed sardonically.

"Goodbye Matt," Jess hung up on him and turned to Becker who was watching her. "I have to go. Are you going to stay or…"

Becker glanced at Abby who had tear tracks lined by mascara. "I'll stay. She shouldn't be alone."

"I shouldn't be too long. We might drop in at the ARC on the way back," Jess said as she took a bright red maxi dress off a hanger. "But I'll be back ASAP."

"Matt making you do his paperwork?"

"No, he gets his in one time. We're going shopping for the ball."

"Oh." He didn't know what else to say. "Have fun."

She grinned, "It's shopping. How could I not?"

#JESKER#JESKER#

Matt cast her a sidelong look, "Are you going to tell me why Becker was at your house?"

"Nope," Jess replied, popping the p. They were in the middle of a male's formal shop on High Street. She reached up and plucked a deep red tie off a rack, "What do you think of this one?"

"It's a bit bright," He frowned. "Lester would like it though; wouldn't show any blood stains if I got into a fight."

It was Jess' turn to glare at Matt. "I don't plan on bailing you out of jail."

"Relax," He offered her a lopsided smirk. "I'm not planning on starting any fights. And besides, if I get thrown in jail, chances are Becker will be with me too."

"He wouldn't end up in jail."

"And I suppose you know him better than me?" He raised an eyebrow and held back a smirk.

"Yes," Jess replied hotly.

Matt grinned, knowing he'd trapped her. "And how well do you know the Captain, Miss Parker?"

Her cheeks flushed red at the insinuation. "We're just friends."

"Friends that share a bed." At her shocked look, he added, "You'd be amazed what you can hear on a phone."

"It's not like that. Abby was there too."

Matt blinked, "Wow."

Jess hit him in the arm. "You have a dirty mind. She was upset. Connor and her had an argument. We were all talking and fell asleep. End of story."

"Is Abby ok?" Matt asked, changing focus immediately. The welfare of his team took priority over teasing them.

"She was still asleep when I left," Jess shrugged, not really knowing the correct answer. "Becker was going to keep an eye on her. And I was thinking about trying to talk to Connor if we went to the ARC." A dark green, almost black bow tie caught her eye. "Oh, what do you think?"

"It's a bow tie," Matt drawled as if that explained the sour expression on his face.

"Bow ties are cool," Jess pouted. "You'd look very James Bond," She added eagerly.

"Defiantly not," He shook his head. "Remind me why I just can't wear black."

"Black's boring," She retorted, pursing her lips.

Matt sighed, "Why don't you just get your dress first then I'll match my tie to it?"

"Because," She said cheerfully. "You're much more picky than I am."

"_I'm_ more picky?" He echoed disbelievingly.

"Yes," Jess nodded then pointed at a bright red tie. "Look at that one!"

"You're enjoying this aren't you? He couldn't help but think this was her revenge for all the dangerous stunts he'd pulled in the past. If it was, he was going to be playing on the safe side in the future.

Jess smiled brightly at him, "Aren't you?"

"Yes," Matt lied, giving her a tight smile. He couldn't tell her no.

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#

Three hours later, Jess knocked on the outer door of Connor's lab at the ARC.

Connor ambled slowly over and opened it, "Is something wrong Jess? I'm kinda in the middle of something. I just had a breakthrough."

"Did you know that Abby cried herself to sleep last night?" Jess asked, her tone frostier than normal.

He looked shocked for a second but it quickly faded. "It was just a little argument… She'll get over it."

"Connor," Jess gaped at him, surprised by his harsh words. "She cried for four hours."

"I just an epiphany. I can't control when genius strikes. I couldn't just sit at home for a few hours and do nothing. I could have forgotten everything. She'll understand one day. I'm gonna change the world."

"She'll understand?" Jess echoed. "Look, this really isn't my place to say-"

"-Then don't," Connor cut in rudely.

"But," She continued, straightening slightly. She was getting angry now. "Abby's my friend too and you're hurting her."

"I don't expect either of you to understand this. Abby's never understood my work and Jess, you're too young. I'm sorry but it's true. You don't know how a real relationship works. It's not like the movies."

Her eyes widened in both shock and fury. "I do understand Connor. You're putting your work before Abby and you're friends."

"My work will change the world. There's gonna have to be sacrifices, I know that. All the great inventors made sacrifices. You just don't understand; it's too complicated."

"Actually, it's quite simple: you're being a dick."

Connor blinked in surprised. He'd never head Jess cuss before. "Jess-"

Hot, angry tears formed in her blue eyes. "For your sake Connor, I hope you know what you're doing." She turned on her bright red high heel and stormed out of the lab.

Connor stared after her, watching her shoulders shake with sobs. "What have I done?"


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for the slow update again. Life is crazy sometimes. Thank you for all the reviews. I wanted to reply to all of you but there was no time.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but an over active imagination that goes into overdrive during exams, when it really shouldn't.

Chapter 9:

Matt strolled down the dimly lit corridor, a spring in his step. He'd survived the shopping marathon – and even slightly enjoyed it (not that he'd ever admit that). And he still had a pretty date to the ball and a tie that would match her dress. All the while he was getting closer to finding out who destroyed the world. Who said men couldn't multitask?

A hand wrapped itself around his wrist and pulled him through the doorway into the darkened lab. "You've got to help me."

"Connor?" Matt blinked at the sudden change of lighting, his eyes adjusting to the pitch blackness.

"Please," The tech begged, surrendering Matt's hand. "I'm a dead man."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Jess ran a hand through her hair, blinking back the tears. She shouldn't be here, she knew that. But she couldn't help it. It felt safer here. And no one would consider looking for her here. If they even bothered to look.

"Stupid Connor," She mumbled, whipping at the mascara tracks on her cheeks. "It's not true," She tried to convince herself but self doubt is a vindictive and resistant enemy. "Not true."

"What's not true?" The sudden voice at the doorway made her scream in surprise. She looked up to see Becker leaning casually against the armoury door. His face fell when he saw hers, "Jess? What happened?"

"Nothing," Jess tried in vain to blink back a fresh round of tears. "I'm just…"

"Just what?" Becker asked softly, walking over and sitting opposite her.

"It's nothing," Jess shook her head and gave a watery smile. Becker was the last person she wanted to tell her problems to.

"Do you want me to get Abby?"

"No!" Her vehement response shocked both of them. "No, not Abby. I'm just being silly. It's nothing, honest."

Becker gave hero a disbelieving look, "You don't cry over nothing."

"That's not true. I always cry in films. Like I cried when Dumbledore died."

"When who died?"

Jess almost laughed in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"No. Am I supposed to know who that is?" He asked in earnest.

"Have you never read Harry Potter?"

He shook his head, "No."

"You should. Or at least watch the films, though there not as good. Films just aren't the same as the books."

"You're rambling," Becker noted, also noticing that she'd stopped crying.

"Am I? Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm learning a lot. Like why you're crying."

"Subtlety isn't your strong suit, is it?"

"No. But getting answers is."

"It's nothing," She shook her head, sending locks of brown hair flying. "I'm just being silly."

"You are never silly," Becker put a finger under her chin and raised it so their eyes met. "And if you don't tell me, I'll call a lockdown and we'll be stuck in here all day and night until you tell me so I can fix it."

"There's some things you can't fix," She said sadly.

"And most things I can. Try me."

"It's stupid…"

Becker shrugged, "Means that it's easy to fix."

Jess took a shaky breath, "Someone said something."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

"Why are you a dead man, Connor?" Matt asked in an even tone. Nothing major could have happened in the ARC- he would have noticed something. And it couldn't be the anomalies – it was too early.

"Becker's going to kill me," Connor almost whispered.

Matt let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, "Becker? Becker is going to kill you? Connor, his job is to project you. He's not going to kill you."

"He is," Connor nodded furiously. "He's going to cut me up into little pieces and throw me into anomaly." He was beginning to panic now, bordering on hysteria.

"No he's not," Matt argued. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I made Jess cry. I didn't mean to. She was just… She's never going to speak to me again. Abby already hates me. I didn't mean to say what I said, it sorta slipped out."

"Breathe Connor," The team leader ordered.

"I didn't mean to hurt them, I swear. I just wanted to do my job; I promised him, y'know. I promised I would carry on. But I keep screwing up. And Abby hates me. Jess is probably holed up somewhere crying and when Becker finds out I made them cry, he's gonna be mad," He finished his rant and took a deep breath.

"You made both Jess and Abby cry?" Matt asked for clarification, his tone slightly more hostile than before.

There was more frantic nodding, like a yoyo on string. "Yes. And I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me I'm an idiot – I already know that. I wish I could take it back but I can't."

"Both of them?"

"Yes. Haven't we covered that already?"

"Just checking," Matt said with a nonchalant air. "I'm gonna go now."

"You can't. Becker will-"

"-Not hurt you," Matt finished for him. "He'll probably want to, considering he's got a hero complex bigger than your ego but he won't. Not much anyway."

"But…"

"Actions have consequences," Matt told him harshly. "Besides, if I was you, I'd be more worried about what Abby's going to do to you. Becker's a military man- they're trained to control their tempers. And you know what they say…"

"Never piss Abby off?" Connor guessed with a slight gulp. He'd been too focused on the highly trained soldier that was probably hunting him down as he breathed to ponder what his ass-kicking girlfriend might do to him.

"Hell hath no furry like a woman scorned," Matt tossed the old adage over his shoulder as he left. "Have fun."

"Fun… yeah… It's like waiting for the apocalypse."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#

Connor stood in his lab, back to the door, which admittedly wasn't the smartest move. When the air pressurised door opened, he jumped at the sound, giving a little shriek. He spun around, almost dropping his precious prototype. His eyes widened as he looked at the tall soldier darkening his door, "Becker."

"Connor," Becker nodded and walked in. He peered over Connor's shoulder. "What are you working on?"

"Just something for Phillip," Connor said, his obsidian eyes following Becker's every move.

"Really? That all?" He sounded disappointed.

"Well, it's complicated."

"Obviously," Becker said dryly. "But that's why he's got you on it, isn't it. You're the boy genius."

Connor frowned, not knowing if he was mocking him or complimenting him. "Thanks, I think."

"For someone so smart, you can be incredibly stupid. And I'm not talking about the stunts you used to pull when we went to anomalies."

"Look, I know what you're about to say-"

Becker cut him off, "No you don't Connor."

"You're gonna say if I make them cry again, you'll break my legs. I got that. I'm beating myself up enough about it as it is."

Becker took a step towards him, using his height to intimidate the techie. "No you're not. If you were, you'd be at Jess' door with flowers for Abby and chocolate for Jess but you're not. You're here. Working on what caused everything in the first place."

"But-"

"No buts, Connor. It's rather simple. Which do you want more – Abby or your work?"

"I-" He couldn't form a response.

"Think about it, Connor," Becker clapped him on the shoulder. Hard. He turned to go but looked back over his shoulder, "If you ever speak to Jess the way you did today, I will break more than you're legs."

Connor nodded furiously, still not able to talk.

"Good."

"Aren't you going to say that about Abby?" He felt like breaking his own legs as his mouth ran off without his brain.

Becker chuckled, smirking a little. "Abby can break you're legs herself." He walked out the door. "Or any other appendage she deems appropriate."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. Real life got in the way. I'm really sorry about that. Thank you for all the reviews – they reminded me that this story still existed and that Jess and Becker need a happy ending. Anyway, happy reading!

Chapter 10

Connor stood at the front door of a flat he wasn't sure if he was welcome in anymore. His one free hand hovered in front of the door as he debated how much he liked his limbs attached. His love for Abby won out and he knocked on the door.

It opened almost immediately and Abby stood in the doorway, arms folded and looking extremely vexed. "I was wondering how long it would take you to man up."

"I choose you," Connor said suddenly, throwing out the hand containing a bouquet of a dozen red roses. "If I have to choose between work and you, I choose you."

Abby's eyes flickered between Connor's anxious expression and the ruby red roses, "Do you mean it or are you just saying that to make me forgive you?" After the last few weeks, trust wasn't really high up on her list of best qualities.

"I mean it. Obviously, I want both – I'm trying to change the world. Make it better. No, let me finish,"  
>He kept talking as she opened her mouth to say something scathing. "I want to finish Cutter's work. Make the world better for everyone. For our children. But it doesn't matter if I don't have you. What's the point of having a world to enjoy if the person you want to enjoy it with hates you?"<p>

"Connor, did you download that from somewhere?" Her guarded expression softened a little at his speech but her defences remained up.

"No," He shook his head quickly. "I just remembered stuff from those girly movies Jess and you keep watching. And I meant it, obviously," He tacked on quickly, not wanting her to think he was just going through the motions.

"Really?" She leant against the doorframe, eyeing him dubiously. "You would give up your work for me?"

"In a heartbeat. Well probably not a heartbeat," Connor amended in his usual run-on-sentence style. "Phillip would have to be told. And I couldn't give up my job entirely otherwise I'd never see you. Creature hunting doesn't have much of a schedule. And to be honest, I don't have much else going for me."

Abby's lips quirked into a slight smile. "Okay. You're on probation."

"Really?" The strength of Connor's incredulous grin could have prevented the ice age that killed the dinosaurs. "You mean it?"

"Of course you idiot," She rolled her eyes. "But if you ever treat me like that again, you will wish that that Giganotosaurus ate you. It would be much less painful."

"Ok, I understand. That's completely understandable. Good even. I was worried you were gonna break my legs but Becker said I probably should have been worried about other appendages."

"You talked to Becker? About this?" She almost laughed. Two emotionally stunted men trying to help each other navigate a relationship – it was a recipe for disaster. Or a bad romantic comedy.

"No he told me to pull my head in. I guess Jess talked to him. Which is good, in the long run."

"Why?" Sometimes she didn't understand his logic. His brain moved too fast for her, like a hummingbird racing an owl.

"Oh," His face fell. She wasn't going to like what he said next. "I kinda made Jess cry. Don't hate me. And don't hit me. It's kinda working well for 'Operation Love Dodos '. It means she trusts him enough to talk to him when she's upset."

Abby folded her arms again, not impressed. "You will be making this up to her."

"I know, I know. Dishes for a month and replacing the ones I break," He came up with his own punishment. "But look on the bright side; we're closer to getting them together. And we're still together."

"No need to sound that surprised," Abby drawled, pushing herself off the doorframe. "I'm about to order pizza, do you want some?"

"I love you," Connor blurted, following her into the apartment.

She laughed, "I'll take that for a yes."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#

Jess hugged herself, bracing against the cold breeze. Perhaps taking a twilight stroll to clear her head wasn't the best idea.

"You should wear a jacket," Becker commented lightly, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Left it in the car. And you're not wearing one either," She poked his bare arm.

"That's different," He huffed, straightening his plain black T-shirt. "I'm not the one that's cold."

"I'm not cold," Jess replied indignantly. Her blue eyes sparkled as they caught a glimpse of something. "A swing!" She detoured to the run down park, stepping into the sandpit with her bright blue high heels.

"Really Jessica?" Becker followed her, raising an eye at her exuberance. Using his peripheral vision, he glanced at all the people walking by. None of them seemed to be paying attention to the grown woman acting like a child.

"Yes really," She pulled a face at him. "Oh come on, you love it really."

"I haven't been on a swing since I was a kid," He folded his arms, watching her as she tugged her skirt down before sitting on the black rubber swing.

"Exactly, you need to relax," She grinned up at him, propelling herself forward using her legs. He had to move to avoid being hit. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Is this how you deal with stressful situations?" His steely resolve was being slowly melted by her expression.

"No, that's chocolate and tequila. But not together-"

"Because that's just weird?" He parroted her words from long ago.

"Yes," She rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "And because it's just not right. But I'm doing this because Connor said I was too young to understand. And maybe he's right."

"Connor's never right. About the important stuff," Becker added quickly, remembering all the times the tech had saved his butt from becoming beef jerky.

"So saving the world isn't important?" Jess queried using her most innocent expression. She couldn't disguise the twinkle in her eyes; he'd seen it too often directed at him.

"Yes. I meant people and relationships. He has no idea how anyone else thinks."

"But I think he is right in this case," She looked down at the ground, her open toed shoes grazing the sand as she swung. "I don't understand. And I don't think I want to, not if it means ending up sad and lonely."

"Jess…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"But I'd rather be naïve than jaded so I'm going to embrace it. Connor can say what he likes but words don't hurt," She said resolutely, sounding confident but Becker couldn't help but wonder if it was an act.

"Don't change, I'm rather fond of this Jess." Becker gave her a soft smile.

"Really?" She glanced up shyly, kicking her feet in the sand like a love struck high schooler.

"Yes," He said in exaggerated exasperation. "No one else can make me sit on a swing in broad daylight in the middle of the city."

"But you're not sitting on a swing," Jess pointed out, being pedantic. "You're standing there watching me have fun."

"Well we'd better remedy that, mustn't we?" He walked over to the swing, sat down and then looked at her. "Happy now?"

"Much," She giggled. "You do realise you're allowed to have fun, don't you?"

"I have fun," Becker replied indignantly.

"I know, I'm not trying to criticise you, honestly. You know me and words – sometimes we just don't get on. I'm trying to say you can relax more often. The world's not going to end if you take a night off."

"I know," He sighed. "It's just hard to switch off sometimes."

"I know," She smiled in sympathy. "Maybe you can try tomorrow night and see how it goes?"

"Tomorrow night?"

"The ball," Jess clarified. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Well between saving the world, as you so aptly put it, and Connor and Abby's dramas and paperwork, I've been a little distracted."

"Well don't be so distracted that you forget to dance with me. Connor bet me that you can't dance and I need new shoes so you better be able to dance."

"Well in that case, how can I say no?"

There was a slight pause. "You can dance, can't you?

Becker refrained from answering, just for a minute, to tease her. "Yes Jess, I can dance."

A/N: I hope you liked it. Happy Christmas Eve everyone!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I can't believe you're all still reading this.

Chapter 11

Connor sat on the white leather sofa, hands on knees, looking like a scared toddler afraid of annoying his mother while she tried to get ready to go out. He was already dancing on a razor's edge with Abby and he could barely dance – something he was sure to drunkenly demonstrate later that night. And he really didn't want to piss her off again. So he sat in the lounge room, hair combed for the third time since they'd returned from the Cretaceous, and waited for his girlfriend and girl-who-is-a-friend to stop running around half dressed Sid and Nancy after too much sugar.

He sighed. From the sounds of the squealed giggles from the bathroom, he could be waiting a while. The giggles stopped for a moment and his breath caught in his throat. Silence was always bad. Silence meant something bad was about to happen. Always. It was always silent before someone died in a horror movie.

"I'll ask Connor."

Now he started hyperventilating. He'd been repeatedly told that his opinion on fashion was a death sentence in disguise and if the girls were desperate enough to go to him for advice… He gulped, waiting for his beautiful blonde to ask him the final question of his brief life.

"Connor?" Jess darted into the room, wearing Abby's white dressing down. There were traces of make-up all down the front of the silk gown.

Connor breathed a little. Jess wasn't as bad as Abby even though he was sure to get his head kicked in by Becker if he upset her again. "Yes Jess?" He tried to sound nonchalant, like he wasn't anticipating a horrible question he couldn't answer.

"How many plugs can we put in two powerboards if we've got them plugged into the same switch?"

"What?" He blinked at the question. That was not what he was expecting. "How many do you want to use?" He recovered quickly, switching to science-geek extroidinare mode.

"Um," Jess did the calcuations in her head. "Seven. Is that ok? I think it is but I want to be sure."

"Why do you need seven hair dryers?" He frowned, trying to it out.

"Two hairdryers, two curlers, one eye lash curler, two hair straighteners," She listed them.

"Should be ok," He nodded, internally marvelling at the amount of effort she and Abby were going to. He was far too lazy to do anything like that. Maybe it was a male thing.

"Great, thanks," She smiled brightly at him – her first genuine smile to him in days. "I just didn't want to short out the system while we're trying to get ready."

"You've still got two hours before the limo even gets here," Connor pointed out, his mouth moving without his survival instincts operating.

"That's nothing," Jess shook her head and dashed back into the bathroom, shouting, "He said it's ok!"

"Good!"

There was a light knock on the door and Connor leapt to answer it. "I've got it!"

"Obviously," Abby's retort floated to him through closed doors. "We can't go out looking like this."

"You're beautiful," Connor shouted back, knowing he was gushing. He opened the door to a Becker in a full tuxedo and one quizzical eyebrow lifted.

"Why thank you Temple," He said dryly, stepping inside the flat. "I didn't think you thought that way."

"Abby," Connor said hurriedly, enunciating the name. "I was talking about Abby. And Jess," He added hurriedly.

"Right," Becker nodded, sitting on the sofa the tech had just vacated. "Are they nearly ready?"

"Ha!" Connor scoffed. "You obviously don't live with women."

"And you're such an expert," Becker drolled, smoothing out the collar of his black tuxedo jacket.

"I know more than you," Connor retorted in a childlike manner. He always had to be the one who knew the most.

And Abby chose that moment to walk out of the bathroom wearing Jess' bright purple dressing gown over a matching set of black underwear Connor adored. "Connor, red or pink?" She held out two different colours of lipstick. Her cheeks flooded red as she spotted Becker next to Connor and she hurried to tie up the dressing gown. "I'll just ask Jess," She sprinted from the room like she was being chased by a creature.

Becker stared pointedly at the floor, not daring to look anywhere else.

"We'll just pretend you never saw that, yeah?"

"Yes." 

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Abby closed the door behind her, resting her back against it. "Don't go back out there."

"What?" Jess peered at her through lowered eyes as she applied a thin line of black eyeliner. "Why?"

"Becker's there."

Jess' formerly steady hand shook and she smudged her eyeliner. "What?"

"He's early," Abby explained simply, picking the pink lipstick she knew Connor liked. She didn't even really know why she asked his opinion. It just seemed the couple-y thing to do.

"How is that even possible?" Jess despaired as she tried to fix the smudge she'd accidently drawn.

"Give it here," Abby took the eyeliner out of her hand and fixed it for her. "He's a guy. The only thing they have to do is shower and it's socially acceptable."

"Becker's not Connor," She almost frowned but kept still, trying not to wreck her make-up.

"You hope," Abby smirked then stepped back with a dramatic flourish. "Voila."

"Thanks," Jess checked it in the mirror, examining all angles. "I'll do yours then we start on foundation?"

"You're the one who knows what's she's doing."

#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL#PRIMEVAL

Matt walked up the stairs, taking them two at a time before stopping and knocking twice on the door. He tugged at the new suit he'd bought, uncomfortable in something so formal. He'd grown up in the depths of dystopia – balls and suits were a new world to him.

The door swung open to reveal Becker in a dress white shirt and untied bow tie, "Hey, we're still waiting on the girls."

"I could have told you that," Matt rolled his eyes and walked in. "So who's winning in Call of Duty?"

"I am," He could hear the smirk in Becker's voice.

"Only because he cheats," Connor objected, still tapping madly at the x-box control.

"Yes because using military tactics in a military game is cheating," Becker drawled and sat back down, moving his tuxedo jacket out of the way. He caught sight of Matt's midnight blue tie. "Nice tie." Even he couldn't tell if he was being genuine or teasing.

"Jess picked it," Matt replied evenly, watching the small twitch in the soldier's expression. In his peripheral vision, he caught Connor smirking like he was a smug genius with a plan. Which he probably was.

"Of course she did," Becker said. The silk material was something the practical Matt would never consider buying.

"And she was right," Jess declared, waltzing into the room, white taffeta swirling around her high heels. "It looks very dashing."

Connor let out a low whistle," Looking good Jess."

"Really?" The smile that lights up her face is childlike in its glee. She looks a little unsure of herself and one hand plays with the white band of pearls around her wrist.

"Gorgeous," Matt chimes in, glad he asked her to the ball. He would be the source of envy for a lot of men tonight. He gave Becker a cursory glance- the man stared at the woman who was a vision in dark blue and white.

"You're just saying that," Jess smiled again, folding her arms against the midnight blue bodice. She'd be lying if she said that she hadn't felt like Elizabeth Bennet as Abby laced her into the ballgown. The dress was old school – a corset bodice that flared at the hips morphing into pure white silk puffed out by taffeta to form a dress that Cinderella would weep over.

"You look beautiful," Becker said, returning her smile softly.

The pink blush Abby had meticulously applied became unneccesary as Jess blushed red. "Thanks. You look handsome."

"Yeah," Connor agreed as he flopped backwards on the sofa, "Who knew the guy who wears the same thing everyday had a sense of style."

"It's called a uniform Connor," Becker glared at the tech indignantly. "And I don't wear the same thing everyday."

"Yeah, he changes his shirt," Matt piped up with a small smirk.

"Hey, let's not pick on each other tonight," Jess walked over so she blocked Connor from Becker's piercing glare. "We're supposed to be having fun. We will have fun, won't we?" She phrased it as a question but it was an order.

"Of course we will," Abby strode into the room, smoothing down the bright orange silk dress she wore. It had two thick straps that crossed over in the middle of her back then joined the a-line skirt in the small of her back. "Connor!" She cried in a reproachful tone. "Don't sit like that, you'll crease the suit and you broke the iron yesterday."

He sat up immediately, "I am the luckiest man on earth."

"He just got told off and he says that?" Matt muttered to Becker.

"Whipped," Becker offered as the explaination.

Jess glare found both of the men, "I think it's sweet." She turned back just in time to see Abby kiss Connor on the cheek. There was a sudden blow of the car horn that made them all jump.

"The limo's here," Connor announced needlessly.

"Everyone ready?" Matt asked, slipping automatically into the role of leader.

"Yep. Ready to do the penguin parade," Connor started towards the door, shrugging his suit jacket on.

"Okay then. No one kill anything tonight," Matt gave a parting piece of advice as Connor helped Abby down the stairs.

"Damn," Becker groaned good naturedly.

"Jess?" Matt held out his arm and she took it with a small smile.

"Why thank you kind sir."

"I'll get the door, shall I?" Becker followed them out, neither of them noticing the dark tone he'd used.

A/N: So I've decided to do something rather stupid and set the goal of finishing the stories I started in high school before I go to Uni in February so updates will hopefully be much closer together.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I love reading them. And for once I'm on target – this story will be finished by the end of February, when I start uni. My electives are all writing so I'm claiming this as preparation for the big scary world of uni.

Chapter 12

With her nose pressed up against the tinted glass window like an excited child, he thought she looked adorable. The coloured city lights reflected in her face bounced back off her smile. "I'd forgotten how pretty it was," She said, still smiling and Becker smiled back at her.

"Yeah," Connor nodded in agreement, taking another sip of champagne as he lounged in the centre seat. His free arm was slung over the back of the seat, his hand brushing Abby's bare shoulder. "Normally we're just watching Becker shoot it up."

"Hey," He objected, eyes narrowing at the techie. "I shoot dinosaurs, not buildings."

"No," Matt agreed in a tone that made him weary of what he was about to say. "You just blow them up."

"That was once," Becker held up a finger to emphasise the point.

"I've got an idea," Jess announced, tearing herself away from the view passing them by. "Let's not talk about work."

"Brilliant idea," Abby toasted the suggestion with her champagne glass. "Not like we can tell anyone about it anyway."

"I was going to tell everyone we worked for Her Majesty's secret service and my code name was Bond," Connor said with a small pout.

"You can still say that Connor," Matt shook his head at his friend.

He grinned, "I've always wanted to say that."

"But," Matt continued. "No one's going to believe you."

"I would," Abby patted his cheek soothingly, trying to ease his dejected expression. "I've seen you in action."

"I don't want to hear anything else thank you very much," Becker looked pointedly out the window.

"Aww you're just jealous you don't have a date for tonight. Poor little soldier doesn't have the courage to ask a girl to a dance," Connor mocked, poking Becker's shoulder with his champagne glass.

"Please," The soldier rolled his eyes as he turned to face Connor. "It's not like you needed much courage to ask your girlfriend to this thing. You knew she'd say yes."

"At least I asked someone," Connor retorted childishly.

"Maybe I did and she was preoccupied.

"Please," Connor rolled his eyes.

"Ohhh look Big Ben!" Jess pointed out the window in an obvious attempt to distract Connor and Becker from bickering. The tall building's clock face glowed in the moonlight.

"Subtle Jess," Matt chuckled softly.

She shrugged a little, "Never said I was good at it."

Becker had followed Jess' finger obediently and his eyes fell on the street sign at the stretch limo turned a corner. "We're there."

"Already?" Connor pouted, draining his champagne glass of its contents.

Abby grabbed his hand as the limo pulled to a stop and the driver unlocked the doors for them, "Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we go home. And think of the free food."

"Fine. But I bags those little pancake thingys," He let his girlfriend pull him out of the limo before straightening his suit and putting on his most dignified expression. He cast an exploratory glance at the old but pristinely presented, Victorian era building and stuck out his chin in what he deemed an aristocratic manner, "I guess this will do."

Matt rolled his eyes, "You can go back to the Ritz when you get out of the way." He motioned with his hand for Connor to stop blocking the car door.

"Sorry," Connor stepped to the side and Matt climbed out. The team leader climbed out a held out a hand for Jess, helping her out. Becker followed her and closed the door after them then the limo disappeared out into the steady city traffic.

"And that, Temple," Becker drolled, "Is how to be a gentleman."

"Hey," He said indignantly, starting up the stairs that would lead them to the ballroom. "I am a perfect gentleman. Aren't I Abby?"

"Shut up and give me your hand," She hissed, grabbing his arm tightly as she wobbly climbed the stairs. "I'm starting to see how Cinderella lost her shoe," She grumbled, staring at her feet to make sure her footing was secure.

"Just go slowly," Jess advised her, her arm on Matt's helping her balance. "It's all a matter of practice and balance."

"Ahh good," Lester greeted them from the top of the stairs. Strains of classical music could be heard from inside as the yellow light glowed, illuminating them all. "You made it in one piece."

"Yep. Didn't think this was a two piece place," Matt quipped, taking pleasure from the small twitch in Lester's face.

"Well, obviously. You remember the rules, don't you?" He spoke in a tone that promised hell if they said no.

"Don't make you look bad," Matt nodded, summarising the list of forty rules they'd been given a few days ago.

"Put succinctly, yes. Now don't screw it up," Lester turned on his heel, smoothed out his tuxedo jacket and waltzed into the ballroom.

Matt rolled his eyes and pivoted to face the team, "Well you heard the man."

"Let's party," Connor nodded, grinning and tugged on Abby's hand, leading her into the ballroom.

"Why do I get the feeling we're going to be saving Connor from doing the chicken dance later?" Becker's eyes followed the young couple into the ballroom.

"Be nice," Jess whacked him in the chest. "You're not going to make friends if you act all surly and grumpy."

"Since when can I be classified as grumpy?" Becker stared at her, slightly affronted.

She cocked her head and gave a one sided shrug, "I'm going inside before I freeze. Feel free to turn into social icebergs out here."

"Was she talking to you or me?" Matt glanced at Becker, who had to physically drag himself from watching Jess disappear into the crowd of people in the ballroom.

"You're her date," Becker shrugged, knowing he was avoiding the question.

"Only because I asked first," Matt's lips quirked upwards into a small smirk. "She would have said yes if you'd asked her." He added a moment later. "Probably would've dumped me in a heartbeat."

"No she wouldn't have. She's too nice."

"Yeah," Matt agreed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Balances you out rather well."

"I'm sorry, is this pick on Becker night or something?" The soldier glared at his friend.

Matt nodded in the direction of a gaggle of giggling girls, "They seem to think so."

Becker turned slightly to look and many of the girls giggled louder and blushed. "I'm not interested."

"I know," Matt patted him on the shoulder. "Your girl's in there chatting up every pretty science nerd that works for Phillip."

"She is not."

"Will be if you don't do something about it," He countered and sauntered away, his characteristic smirk on full display.

"What am I supposed to do?"


	13. Chapter 13

Becker walked slowly into the ballroom and surveyed it, not unlike how he evaluated a battlefield. Connor was talking animatedly to Burton, waving his hands like he was trying to communicate without the never-ending mass of words he was famous for. Abby was by his side, a bemused smile on her face, but Becker could tell by the tight grip she had on Connor's hand she wasn't happy being monopolised by Burton. He didn't really blame her either.

Looking further into the crowd, he saw Lester in the centre of a group of people, controlling the chatter like a skilled poetaster. He was right at home there – no future predators to attack, only political ones. A small frown marred Becker's head as he looked for Jess but couldn't see her. The people dancing to the classical music obscured his view and they twirled around the room like multi-coloured leaves on the wind.

He spotted Matt first, sporting a little pout and pretending to be absorbed in conversation with a young, blonde man that had the look of a government paper-pusher. Becker could identify the type on sight; he'd spent enough hours pretending his punching bag was one. Bureaucracy was the enemy of a soldier, more frightful than the enemy approaching from the other trench. At least then he knew he was going to lose his supplies or more.

The office worker moved to one side as he spoke and Becker saw Jess through the gap. She was smiling at the stranger, even laughed at what he supposed was a funny joke but her smile wasn't as wide as the one she always greeted him with. Becker felt a surge of joy at that. He made her smile – that was good, he hoped. He started into the crowd, swiftly dodging the dancing couples. Just as he darted between two couples, he heard his name called. "Captain Becker!"

Hiding his annoyance, he turned on the spot and strode over to Burton, hands clasped behind his back. "Yes sir?"

"Connor here was just telling me how you saved his life," Burton said, taking a sip of champagne.

"And which time was he referring to?" He kept his tone even but Connor saw the teasing glint in his eye.

"Oi, you," He pushed him playfully.

"I just wanted to say congratulations," Burton continued, ignoring the jibe between friends, "and good work. Keep it up. You're making the world a better place."

Becker inclined his head gratefully. Praise was praise no matter if he didn't like the giver. "Thank you sir."

"Now go have some fun," Burton ordered, waving his hands around theatrically. "Find a pretty lady and relax. You're off duty tonight."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir," Becker retreated, stepping backwards until he disappeared into the dancing crowd. He turned, intending to go to Jess but she wasn't there. "Damn." He spun around, trying to spot her. He heard her laugh before he saw her next to the food table.

"Matt," She laughed as she helped herself to a glass of red wine. "Be nice."

"I am being nice. He was an idiot," Matt replied, frowning over her shoulder at the man they were discussing.

"You can't discriminate against someone just because you think they're dumb," Jess argued.

"Of course you can't. You'd be discriminating against all of us, wouldn't you Jess?" Becker walked towards her, butting into their conversation. He had no idea what he was doing. He didn't have a plan and he always had a plan. The fact that he didn't scared him more than the idea of angry, hungry pack of T-rexes.

She turned to add him to the conversation, an odd smile on her lips. "Is that a compliment?"

"Yes," Becker nodded, deciding to take the direct approach. Given her lack of subtlety, he didn't want to have her miss his own subtle hints. And he didn't want to miss his chance because of a misunderstanding. He looked in her eyes, willing her to say something, to tell him what to say because he didn't know. Her cheeks started to turn pink but she didn't say anything.

"What did Burton want?" Matt asked, somewhat interrupting their moment.

"Oh," Becker blinked, the question stopping his daydreaming. "Apparently Connor told him how I saved his life and he was impressed."

"That was nice of him," Jess said. "To acknowledge that, I mean."

He shrugged, "It's my job. I can't let every creature take a bite out of him; they'd get indigestion."

Jess' eyes narrowed, "I'm gonna tell Connor you said that." She tilted her chin up at him and he could see the sparkle in her eyes.

"I'm shaking," Becker quipped with a sardonic eye roll, secure in the knowledge he could beat Connor with his left pinkie. He relaxed slightly, feeling more comfortable. He hadn't managed to screw up in the first minute so he was going well.

"You realise Connor could wipe out your credit rating and turn off your electricity, right?" Matt asked with a small smile as he tossed back the rest of his champagne.

"And that's why I have Jess," The soldier replied evenly. "She can fix anything."

Jess blushed at the freely given compliment. "Connor's way smarter than me. He'd beat me."

"I'd bet on you," Becker told her honestly. And he would.

Her blush was growing beetroot red and she bit her lip, trying to think of what to say but he was throwing her so off balance she couldn't think. "I love this song," She blurted, hearing the strains of violin over the din of polite conversation. She needed time to think before she sounded like more of an idiot than she just did. "Shall we dance?" Jess turned to Matt with a hopeful smile. He was her date after all. It was his duty to dance with her.

"Dance?" Matt echoed then shook his head. "No."

"Matt…" She wedeled, stepping towards him and wrapping her hands around his arm. "Please? You're my date for the night. It's part of the rules."

"I don't dance," He said stoically.

"Everyone dances," Becker said, backing up Jess. He didn't understand her rapid mood change but he'd learnt a long time ago that he couldn't predict any move Jess Parker made.

"Not everyone," Matt replied and folded his arms defiantly.

"Pretty please?" Jess begged, doing her best puppy dog eyes.

"If you really want to dance, I'm sure Becker will dance with you." Matt tried to peel her fingers off his arm.

"I know he will," She glanced up at Becker then quickly back to Matt. "But, you asked me so you get to dance with me first. That's the rules."

"Some rules are meant to be broken," The Irishman retorted and finally succeeded in loosening her grip. "Besides I'll just stand on your feet."

Becker held out his hand, "Come on Jess. Let Matt sulk in the corner. And I did promise you a dance."

"Um," Jess bit her lip trying to decide. She hadn't had the time to clear her head and her heart was beating faster than a hummingbirds'. But it wasn't everyday she was asked to dance by the handsome soldier that made her giddier than any movie start ever could. "Sure."

Becker couldn't help but smile as she put her hand in his and let him escort her out to the dance floor. She turned to face him and he put his free hand lightly on her waist. "Where did you learn to dance?" He asked as they stepped into a simple waltz box step.

"My dad," She smiled, eyes bright. "He used to dance with me on his toes all around the living room when I was little. What about you?"

"My dad sent me to lessons. You can't be an officer without knowing how to dance at functions."

"Oh," Jess didn't really know what to say to that. "Did you want to be an officer?"

"Always," He nodded, smiling a little. "My grandmother said that when I was five, I tried on my grandfather's army cap and didn't take it off for weeks."

"Awww, you must have been so cute," She laughed, trying to imagine a child Becker. In her mind he was a cute little boy with dark eyes and darker hair – the kind of child she imagined having in the future.

"I still am," He retorted stiffly, then smiled broadly. "Or don't you think so?" The words escaped his mouth before he had thought them through.

Jess looked up at him, startled. Was she imagining things or was he flirting with her? "Yes."

"Yes you think so or yes you don't think I'm cute anymore?" He asked for clarification before releasing her waist so he could spin her around. Those few seconds gave them both time to think. Their minds were racing with equal amounts of hope and fear.

"I'd use the word handsome instead of cute," She answered as she completed the turn. It was his turn to blush. Not enough to do his reputation any harm but enough to make her smile.

"Thank you," Becker said. "Soldier's don't like being referred to as cute."

"Ruins the whole tough guy image you guys have got going, does it?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"Of course. Next thing you know people will expect us to have pink guns that shoot flowers to appease the hippies and liberals."

"Hey," Jess frowned, "There's nothing wrong with pink. Lots of men wear pink now."

"I don't."

"Then I'll just have to buy you something pink then won't I?"

"It would hardly match my clothes. My outfits wouldn't be colour coordinated," Becker said airily, the twinkle in his eyes telling her he was teasing.

"Honey, black goes with anything," She rolled her eyes.

"Black goes well with black," He retorted, enjoying the light-hearted banter.

"Next day we have off, I'm taking you shopping and teaching you about matching colours."

"What if I have other plans?" Becker asked smoothly, trying to be suave.

Her eyes went wide, "Oh Becker, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, Jess I meant, what if I have other plans with you?" He said quickly, realising he'd lead her to the wrong conclusion.

Confusion clouded her expression, "What do you mean?" A burst of hope radiated through her, making her toes curl.

"What if we had plans, to go to dinner or have a picnic in a park or whatever you'd like to do?" He asked, his voice low. If she said no, he didn't know what he'd do.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Jess asked, disbelievingly.

"Yes."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"_Are you asking me out on a date?" Jess asked, disbelievingly. _

"_Yes."_

Jess leant back slightly, examining Becker's frozen expression. He looked scared and more than a bit hopeful – exactly what her own expression would look like in a mirror. "Then yes," She nodded and smiled brightly.

"Yes?" Becker echoed breathlessly, like he'd stopped breathing for the few seconds it had taken Jess to answer him.

"Yes," Her smiled grew broader. "A million times yes."

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, speaking quickly. "We could go to dinner or a movie. Or a picnic in the park if that's what you like. Whatever you want."

"I want," She paused theatrically, teasing him slightly. "You to relax," She finished, watching his eyes light up with surprise. "We don't have to rush. And I'm rather fond of dancing."

Becker blinked, realising they were still swaying on the dance floor. "Okay," He spun her around, causing her to laugh.

"Becker," She giggled as she was twirled back into his formal dance hold.

"Jessica," He replied, smiling tight tipped.

"Do I get to know your first name now?" She cocked her head innocently, the glint in her eyes anything but innocent.

"You've read my file," Becker evaded the question. "Don't you know it?"

"Yes," She admitted. "But I don't want everything I know about you to be from the files or Connor's stories."

His grip on her waist tightened momentarily. "Connor's been telling stories?"

"Yeah, I kinda asked," She looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "Nothing bad of course."

"Of course," Becker nodded. "So what did Connor tell you?"

"Um," She tried to think. "That you're a good cook?"

Becker chuckled, "Compared to Connor, anyone's a good cook."

"True."

"What else?"

"I don't know," She shrugged. "I can't think of anything."

"Is that bad or good?"

"Good," She said definitively. "It means you can tell me everything."

"You want to hear everything?"

"Yep," She nodded.

"Even before we go on our date?" He froze, realising neither of them had said the actual word.

Jess didn't react to the word or his own reaction. "If you want to or you could just tell me on the date."

"Alright," He agreed. "It'll give us something to talk about."

"I never run out of things to talk about."

Becker chuckled fondly, "That doesn't surprise me."

"Hey," She pouted playfully, knowing he didn't mean offense. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of something over Becker's shoulder. "They're staring."

"Who?" Becker tensed immediately, bringing Jess closer, protectively sheltering her with his body.

"Connor and Abby and Matt," She answered, frowning slightly. "And Abby looks like she's about to have an aneurysm. Twirl me then you can see," Jess ordered.

Becker twirled her obediently and looked to the spot her lovely blue eyes had been focused on, his own brown eyes immediately seeing the orange of Abby's dress. She, Connor and Matt were standing in a small huddle on the side of the ballroom making no attempt to hide the fact they were staring at Becker and Jess. "Nosy gits," Becker muttered.

"Pardon?" Jess moved closer to hear him.

"I said nosy gits," He said a little louder. "It's like they never left high school."

"Well, Connor never left university," Jess shrugged. It was all the same in the end.

As Becker glared at them, Connor had the gall to raise his glass in a toast, smirking as he did so. "I've got an idea," Becker leant down and said softly. "Do you wanna get out of here?"

Jess nodded, "That was the plan, wasn't it? Make an appearance then go to a pub where there's real dancing?"

A perfect crease formed in his brow, "What sort of pubs have you been going to?"

"Apparently not the same ones as you," She answered swiftly.

"Connor's not going to shut up all night and Matt's got that annoying smirk,"

"You always say that," Jess rolled her eyes.

"So why don't we have that date now?" He suggested, a little surprise at his own boldness. "There's a chocolate shop around the corner. I saw it when we were coming here."

Jess stared at him, slack jawed for a moment. "Yes!" She said loudly, starting some people around them. "I mean, sure that sounds great." Mentally, she kicked herself for being over eager. Just because her dreams were coming true did not mean that she could act like a star struck teenager on a sugar high. Even if that's what she felt like.

"Come on," His soft hand brushed her arm as it slid down to grab her hand. "We'll make a run for the door and they won't catch us."

"Or we could be subtle about it," She glanced at their friends, doubting her ability to run in her high heels.

"Subtly is not our strong suit," Becker shook his head. "It will be fine Jess. Please?" He looked at her, imploring silently with big brown eyes.

"Fine," She sighed. "But if I break a heel,"

"I'll carry you home," He promised and her eyes widened with happiness just as he started moving quickly through the crowd, almost dragging her along behind him. For every step he took, she had to take two as she hurried to keep up.

She risked a glance back and saw the looks of confusion of Abby's face. "I think they've worked out something's wrong."

"Don't look back," Becker told her. "It only slows you down."

"This isn't a military operation, Captain," Jess reminded him as they dodged the groups of people scattered around the doorway.

"All's fair in love and war," He quipped then realised what he'd implied. "I mean… That…"

Jess squeezed his hand, "I know."

"Ah," Lester's voice boomed nearby. "Just the two I was looking for."

They froze, knowing what that overly polite tone meant. "Lester," Jess greeted him by name as they turned to face him.

"The office just called and apparently there's a situation that has to be dealt with immediately," Lester used the generic words but all of them knew what he meant: there was an anomaly.

"What kind of situation?" Becker abandoned any thought of a work-free night.

"A large, spikey one, if I'm not mistaken," Lester said sourly, going to run his hand through his hand but stopping as he realised it would mess it up. "So Jess, can you gather the other riff raff and organise something?"

"Of course I can," She nodded and picked up her skirt, walking quickly back to the others.

Lester watched Becker's almost completely impassive face as she left. "I trust you won't be distracted, will you Becker?"

"I'm never distracted sir," The soldier replied automatically. "My focus is always on my work."

"I'm not blind, Becker," Lester spoke more amicably than Becker had ever heard him. "And God knows I saw what Shaggy and Daphne got up to. You're smarter than that, I hope." It wasn't a question or a hope – it was an order.

"Yes sir," He nodded, realising quickly what his boss was talking about.

"Good, good," Lester said absently, looking up as Jess returned with the others. "Well?" He said in his normal acerbic tone. "What are you still doing here? Go do your jobs."

No one bothered to reply to him, they just left quickly. Time was of the essence. "Becker, Jess," Matt rattled of their names, organising a plan as they walked out the door. "You go back to the ARC then Becker can bring the equipment to us."

"Where is it anyway?" Connor asked, wanting to get an idea of what they were getting into.

"Essex," Jess said, reading off her phone. "One creature was sighted and described as large, spikey like an echidna and freaky."

Becker flagged down a taxi and held out his hand to help Jess in. "Please don't do anything stupid before I get there," He looked at Matt. "I rather like this suit."

"No promises," The Irishman replied with a small smile. "Don't make any pit stops," He called as the taxi took off.

"Where to?" The taxi driver asked.

Jess gave the address as she settled into the seat, rearranging her large skirt. "Figures there would be one now," She said in an undertone.

"Connor always said there was an anomaly whenever he tried to ask Abby out. I always thought he was joking."

"But now?" She laughed a little.

"He might be right," Becker admitted, shrugging a little. "But don't tell him that. He'll never let me forget that I said it."

"My lips are sealed," Jess mimed locking her lips with a key. They fell into a companionable silence, both staring out vacantly at the city whizzing past their windows as they planned what they would do to close the anomaly. Becker's arm was stretched out along the back of the taxi, occasionally brushing Jess' shoulder.

As they turned into the ARC's street, Jess turned him. "You'll be careful, won't you?" She tried to stop herself from sounding whiny and hoped she'd succeeded.

"I'm always careful," Becker replied calmly. They both knew the risks of his job. "I'll tell you what, I'll even promise to keep warm," His lips quirked as he recalled her earlier statement.

She turned pink and pouted slightly, "Becker…" The taxi pulled up at the ARC and Jess looked at Becker. "I'll see you when you get back." She opened the door and carefully got out.

Becker leant over and closed the door for her. "I've got a good reason to come back."

She smiled at him through the window and waved as the taxi drove off, feeling like Cinderella. But unlike Cinderella, she knew her Prince Charming was coming back for her.

A/N: This is the last chapter for OUAD. I intended to get Jess and Becker from friends into a relationship and that's where they are. I hope you liked the story. I know I loved writing it and reading the reviews. Thank you for your lovely comments :D


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